Minister McConalogue has announced the opening of the 2023 Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measures.
Launching a budget of €2.5 million for these measures for 2023 after a trial on Multi-Species Swards showed positive results around low nitrogen fertiliser use having beneficial impacts on reducing nitrous oxide emissions and also reducing input costs for farmers.
Some key changes to the pilot measure have been introduced and these include:
- payments will be made directly to the approved farmer on a per hectare basis
- the payment rate has been increased significantly up to a potential €300 per hectare where eligible swards are established. A reduced payment rate per hectare will apply as appropriate if eligible applications exceed the available combined budget for the two measures
- to receive payment under either measure, an applicant must indicate the correct crop type on their 2023 BISS application
The applications portal for both these will close on the 29th May 2023, and eligibility must be that swards sown by 15 July and established by 30 September 2023.
Further details on the measures can be found here: gov.ie – Minister McConalogue announces opening of Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measures (www.gov.ie)
