The Polish government has received the green light from the European Commission to proceed with a €836m scheme to support farmers to cope with increases in fertiliser prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Tillage farmers are set to receive grants of €53.50/ha to help ease the burden of increased fertiliser costs, while grassland farmers will be able to apply for €107/ha under the scheme.

Payments will made on a maximum of 50ha, allowing for a maximum payment of up to €5,350 to be claimed by individual farmers.

Further details on the scheme have yet to be announced by Poland’s ministry of agriculture and rural development.

First of its type

Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said that Poland had been the first member state to submit an application for any agricultural scheme under the EU’s Ukrainian state aid temporary crisis framework.

This framework was brought in by the Commission on 23 March 2022 to add flexibility to EU state aid rules amid the disruption to trade caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Commissioner Wojciechowski also said that the package was the largest emergency spending package for farmers that he was aware of gaining approval in Brussels.

Some €35,000 has been set as the direct aid limit for agricultural holdings under this framework, up from €20,000 per farmer (or €25,000 for some member states) over a three-year period under the regular EU state aid rules.

COVID-19 framework

Another EU temporary framework is set to remain in place until 30 June 2022 – the COVID-19 temporary framework – with the COVID-19 and Ukrainian frameworks overlapping until then.

This was the framework under which the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme (BEEP), the Beef Finisher Payment Scheme and the Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme were approved, among other schemes.

Under the COVID-19 framework, member states could pay up to €290,000 per applicant in direct aid.

Irish Farmers Association sources had suggested that this was also the framework under which its €100m pig support package would be sought.