However, due to this unprecedented level of demand the DAFM has confirmed that it will have to limit approvals to stay within the allocated budget for the programme, and will be communicating directly with each applicant in due course.
With over 4.5m tonnes of lime sought, the average amount per applicant under the programme is just over 111t. At a rate of €16/tonne, this would require a budget of more than €72m if all lime sought were approved and claimed by farmers. Annual tonnage of lime applied nationally in recent years, including on those farms ineligible under the scheme has ranged from 700,000 tons to 1.3m tonnes.
Commenting on the level of interest in the programme, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said he will now assess how to proceed in light of the demand for the programme, which he said ‘underlines clearly how engaged farmers are in soil fertility and reducing their chemical fertiliser usage’
“I very much welcome how farmers have engaged with this new programme and the fact that applications are well ahead of farming norms – this is a tremendous show of environmental strength by farmers. I want to see how best we can step this forward to ensure as much lime as possible can be spread this year.
“We need to correct soil pH on a significant proportion of our farmland to improve environmental and economic sustainability and reduce overall emissions from the sector. With this in mind, it is great to see how farmers have engaged in soil sampling over recent months and we will now hopefully see that translate into improved nutrient management planning resulting in targeted lime and fertiliser application in line with crop requirements.”