A package worth more than €12m for tillage farmers to increase the volume of crops grown in Ireland is to be brought before cabinet this Tuesday by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

The aid package for the tillage sector is to support the production of more native crops and crops, with a low demand for chemical fertiliser, on the back of the war in Ukraine and the impact on supply chains.

The supports will be divided into three schemes.

Tillage Incentive Scheme

The Tillage Incentive Scheme will pay farmers to grow additional tillage crops, such as barley, oats and wheat, in 2022.

A payment of €400/ha is proposed. However, that rate may be higher for certain crops, such as maize and fodder beet, as the cost of production is under review, but is considered to be higher.

It is anticipated that a possible 25,000 additional hectares of these crops could be grown in 2022, leading to a total budget of €10m.

Protein crop supports

The protein crop supports will encourage farmers to grow more protein crops, such as peas, beans and lupins. A payment of €300/ha is proposed.

It is also proposed that combi-crops, made up of a cereal/protein mix, would be included in this initiative.

The target is to increase the volume of hectares under protein crops from 10,000ha to 14,000ha.

Multi-Species Sward Scheme

Some €2m is being put towards the planting of multi-species swards, with a 16,000ha target for this scheme.

It is also proposed to extend the scheme to include red clover as an eligible crop.

Some €1m of this fund will come from the €1m announced under Budget 2022 for the scheme.

Unprecedented times

Minister McConalogue said that we are living in unprecedented times.

“The illegal invasion in Ukraine has put our supply chains under enormous pressure. I quickly put in place the National Food and Feed Security Committee to examine how best to advise the sector to manage the disruptions.

“There is a need to focus our supports on the tillage sector, given the narrow window we have to plant crops. I committed to standing by our farm families during this crisis and I will continue to do so in the time ahead,” he said.

Details of the schemes are expected to be addressed in the coming days, while additional supports for the growing of grass silage is expected to be explored in the coming weeks.