Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 May 2023
491. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on increasing the funding for the straw incorporation measure by 50% and increasing the acreage that can be applied for by an individual farmer from the current 40 ha; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21333/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, I introduced the Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) in 2021 as a pilot measure. The purpose of the scheme is to chop straw and incorporate it into the soil, thereby improving soil organic matter with which a lot of additional environmental and climate change benefits are associated. These include increased carbon storing potential, recycling nutrients to tillage soils, increased soil workability, increased water holding capacity and soil microbial activity.
The Straw Incorporation Measure, since its introduction in 2021, has proved to be very successful and popular with farmers. Given the success of the measure, I secured its inclusion in Ireland’s 2023 – 2027 CAP Strategic Plan (CSP). The indicative annual financial allocation for this measure in the CSP is €10 million and is payable on the chopping and incorporation of straw between 5 hectares up to a maximum of 40 hectares. The rate of payment is €250 per hectare for barley, wheat, oats and rye and €150 per hectare for oilseed rape.
In 2022 just over €11.1 million was paid out to 2,527 farmers on an area of approximately 50,400 hectares.
I will keep the SIM scheme under review, however, the final annual allocation for the scheme is subject to the national budgetary process and uptake by farmers.
