The closing date for receipt of claims under the National Liming Programme, which will pay farmers €16/t for lime delivered and spread, has been extended by a week.

The deadline for farmers to submit lime scheme claims, in the form of invoices for bought lime, is now 7 November 2023.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue announced the one-week extension on Friday.

Wet weather

The Minister pointed out that wet weather over the summer and autumn significantly diminished many farmers' opportunities to spread lime this year.

In response to this, on 6 October, Minister McConalogue announced that, provided an invoice marked paid was submitted with the payment claim, the lime could be delivered and spread up to 31 March 2024.

In recent days quarries have experienced a significant increase in the number of farmers seeking to forward buy lime for delivery and spreading by the end of March.

Farmers now have another week to buy lime to claim payment under the National Liming Programme.

In some cases, this has resulted in quarries suspending sales as they could not guarantee they would have payments processed and invoices marked paid issued to all their customers in time for the claim to be submitted to the Department.

“Significant numbers of farmers have opted to avail of this important flexibility," said Minister McConalogue. "Such is the demand that a number of quarries have advised that, as they can’t guarantee their customers will have an invoice marked paid in time for next Tuesday’s deadline, they are ceasing to take orders.

“Given the environmental benefits associated with the application of lime to correct soil pH, I want to ensure all approved farmers can avail of this scheme and purchase lime. I am therefore granting a one-week extension with the scheme now closing for claims at midnight on 7 of November,” he added.