The tillage payment announced in Budget 2024 has been topped up to €50/ha from €28/ha, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has announced.

The funding available for this one-off, flat-rate payment is €12.63m on the area of oilseed rape, winter and spring barley, wheat, oats and rye declared under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS) in 2023.

It is being paid to over 8,400 tillage farmers.

It is subject to a maximum of 100ha per applicant. The minimum area to be eligible for the flat-rate payment is 5ha.

This forms part of €14.3m in support payments set to commence for the tillage sector.

The €14.3m support package is comprised of €7.147m secured for the tillage sector under the Agricultural Reserve fund in 2023, matched with a top-up of a further €7.147m being made available from the once-off Ukraine related funding provided in Budget 2024.

This funding is being used to support growers who were unable to harvest their cereal crops last year due to wet weather, as expected there is an under spend in the Unharvested Crop Loss Support Scheme, the balance of which is being used to increase the once-off flat-rate payment outlined above.

The Unharvested Crop Loss Support Scheme, first announced in November 2023, will provide support of €1.67m to 236 applicants who are eligible under the Scheme.

The minimum eligible area is 2ha and a maximum eligible area of 20ha under the scheme.

‘Significant challenges’

Minister McConalogue said 2023 was a difficult year for tillage farmers.

“Tillage growers experienced significant challenges in 2023 with high costs of production, reduced output prices and challenging weather conditions which affected crop yields. Wet weather also affected the harvesting of crops with growers not being able to harvest crops in many areas.

“The tillage sector is an important and integral component of the agri-food industry making a significant and valued contribution to the Irish economy. In line with commitments in Food Vision 2030 and the Climate Action Plan I want to see the sector grow and develop,” he said.

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Tillage payment of €11/ac to be topped up