THERE was widespread relief this week after Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue confirmed an extension to the date by which lime must be spread under the National Liming Programme.
Lime, purchased under the scheme, can now be spread by Friday, June 28th.
The south-west endured high rainfall again in recent days with weather warnings and flooding, and ICMSA deputy president Eamon Carroll had pushed for an extension. ‘Ground conditions remain extremely difficult on both dry and wet land and specifically there is no prospect for farmers in wet areas being able to meet the March 31st deadline without doing severe damage to land.
The jobs are just piling up and the reality is that when land does dry, farmers will be prioritising getting animals to grass given the scarcity of fodder, then there’s spreading slurry and fertiliser to get grass growing,’ said Mr Carroll, who also chairs the Farm and Rural Affairs
Committee.
Minister McConalogue heeded the concerns and has extended scheme. ‘I recognise the challenges farmers have faced trying to spread lime due to the high levels of rainfall recorded since last July. This has significantly impacted soil trafficability and therefore farmers ability to spread lime. The flexibility being announced will give farmers an opportunity to apply lime when ground conditions are more favourable.’
The Liming Programme was introduced by the Minister in spring 2023 to incentivise the use of lime as a natural soil conditioner which corrects soil acidity, make nutrients more available for plant uptake and improves overall soil health.
Over 14,500 claims were submitted under the National Liming Programme with advance payments issued to farmers in the final months of 2023.
Payments were conditional on the purchase of lime no later than the November 7th, 2023 and subsequent spreading before March 31st 2024. This date is now extended until June 28th.
Farmers are reminded that failure to adhere to the conditions of the scheme regarding spreading will result in recoupment of aid already paid.
ICMSA deputy president Carroll said the Minister’s decision ‘would remove one element of pressure from farmers at an extremely difficult time’.
