Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has welcomed the commencement of payments and confirmed that these will continue as other cases are cleared:
“All fully cleared cases have received their full payment, with the remaining claims receiving an 85 per cent advance. The final balancing payment will issue in 2024 when checks are completed following the spreading deadline of March 31. Where claims have been found to be deficient, these will be sent for payment as they are resolved.”
Minister McConalogue has reminded suppliers that: “Lime deliveries must now be recorded by the Fertiliser Economic Operator or supplier on the National Fertiliser Database. This will facilitate checks on farmers that have forward bought lime for spreading up to the end of March 2024 with minimal administrative burden on farmers and the department.
“In introducing the liming programme, I was very mindful of research results that indicated that increasing soil pH to optimum levels leads to a significant reduction in nitrous oxide emissions while simultaneously increasing grass and other crop yields. The willingness of farmers to play their part in our climate and environmental ambitions is a very positive indicator for the future resilience of the Irish agri-food sector. It is only by working together that these ambitions will be achieved.”