Final application figures for the straw incorporation measure (SIM) show that 1,961 farmers applied to chop 38,712ha of a combination of oat, wheat, barley and oilseed rape straw. This is just under the 40,000ha threshold for the scheme and equates to a support of about €8.9m for tillage farmers.

The numbers indicate that about one-third of the area submitted for chopping is oats, with a bit over 20% for each of wheat, barley and oilseed rape straw.

It is possible that some of those hectares may be withdrawn by the 9 June deadline if growers get new demand for straw. However, it seems likely that at least 36,000ha of straw will be chopped and incorporated under this scheme.

The 38,712ha applied for is the equivalent of about 840,000 4x4 bales across the cereal and oilseed rape areas involved.

A full harvest would equate to about 6m bales, so the applications to chop and incorporate equate to about 14% of a normal harvest. The overall straw harvest in 2020 was down by much more than this percentage due to the impact of the drought.

The measure, which is primarily aimed at increased soil carbon storage, is estimated to permanently lock up about 22,762t of carbon in the soil for this area of straw incorporation.

This would equate to 84,222t of CO2 locked up in tillage soils annually, which would also lessen the emissions pressures on the livestock sector.