Press release
Claim system open for Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measure Applicants
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has advised that eligible applicant’s participating in the Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measures can now up-load their claims for payment to www.agfood.ie.
After signing on to agfood.ie, applicants should select AgSchemes - Applications for Payment and then select the relevant measure from the Scheme drop down menu.
Applicants must have declared the appropriate crop-code for the respective parcel on their 2023 BISS application. In addition, supporting documents in the form of invoices and seed labels must be up-loaded to Agfood.ie to support the claim for payment.
To ensure eligible applicants, have sufficient time to upload their documentation, the closing date for receipt of claims has been extended to midnight on Friday 29 September 2023.
The department reminds applicants that only seed purchased after the applicant’s expression of interest to participate in the respective measure was lodged on agfood.ie and before the final date for sowing the crop, 15 July 2023, can be considered eligible for aid under each of these Measures.
The Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measure opened for applications in April of this year, with a budget of €2.5 million.
These Measure were introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to promote environmentally sustainable methods of farming, which will have a positive impact on climate emissions, biodiversity and water quality.
A payment rate of up to €300/ha is being allowed, which represents a significant increase in the rate of aid paid last year and is part of the government’s response to meeting increased input costs.
Trial work on Multi-Species Swards has shown positive results around low nitrogen fertiliser use which will have a beneficial impact on nitrous oxide emissions while reducing input costs for farmers. Other benefits arising from this measure include improved biodiversity, greater tolerance to drought conditions and reduced anthelmintic requirements.
Findings from UCD’s Smartgrass project on multi-species swards have also shown improved livestock performance when compared with perennial ryegrass swards as well as reduced requirement of anthelmintics which may be due to the presence of chicory and plantain. The different rooting structures in these swards allow for both improved soil structure along with a greater tolerance to drought conditions.
Research carried out on Red Clover Silage has shown that due to its nitrogen fixing ability these swards are higher in protein than conventional silage and combined with their ability to yield over 14t DM/ha will assist farmers in reducing their concentrate feed bills.
These measures are expected to expand the area already established under the 2022 pilot programmes and will take advantage of the environmental benefits these swards provide.