Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 May 2023
240. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure all applicants approved for the national liming programme 2023 will receive a financial contribution of €16 per tonne of lime spread; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22223/23]
View answerThere has been a phenomenal level of demand for the National Liming Programme with 4.5 million tonnes sought by almost 41,000 applicants. To put this in context, the annual tonnage of lime applied nationally in recent years has ranged from 700,000 tonnes to 1.4 million tonnes. This includes applications of lime on those farms ineligible for support under the Programme.
The level of interest in the Programme underlines how engaged farmers have become in addressing soil fertility and reducing their chemical fertiliser use. I very much welcome how farmers have engaged with this new Programme and the fact applications are well ahead of farming norms.
Based on a payment rate of €16 per tonne and an average application of 111 tonnes, if all lime sought was to be grant aided, the applications received would require a total budget of €72 million. In line with the programme’s Terms and Conditions, there will be a need to limit approvals to stay within the allocated budget for the Programme.
My officials are currently carrying out checks to confirm each applicant's eligibility in preparation for the issuing of Letters of Approval. The outcome of these checks will influence the level of aid that can be granted per eligible applicant.
Every eligible applicant will receive a Letter of Approval in the coming weeks informing them of the quantity of lime they are approved to receive aid on.
