Press release
Extension to closing date for receipt of claims under the National Liming Programme
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
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has today announced a one-week extension to the closing date for receipt of claims under the National Liming Programme.
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. 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.
Responding to this situation Minister McConalogue stated:
“Given the difficult weather conditions, I introduced flexibility at the start of October to allow farmers spread lime under the Liming Programme up to 31 March 2024, provided the lime was paid for and the claim for aid submitted to my department by 31 October.
“Significant numbers of farmers have opted to avail of this important flexibility. 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 November.”
Minister McConalogue continued by stating:
“The Programme is supported as a once-off Ukraine funded measure from the National Exchequer, farmer payments have to be paid from the 2023 budget. To allow time for claim processing there will be no further extension to the deadline for receipt of claims.”
The Liming Programme was introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to incentivise the use of Lime a natural soil conditioner, which corrects soil acidity by neutralising the acids that are present in the soil. The programme will be funded as a once-off Ukraine funded measure from the National Exchequer.
Aid will be paid at a rate of €16 per tonne of Calcium ground limestone/ Magnesium (dolomitic) ground limestone delivered and spread.
To qualify for payment, all ground limestone purchased under this measure must meet the specifications set down in S.I. No. 248/1978: The ground limestone must be purchased directly from a licenced quarry. A list of licenced quarries is available at: Trade, Imports & Exports: Fertilisers and Limestone.
Quarries operating outside the State are not required to be licenced by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, but lime supplied must meet the specifications set down under S.I. No. 248/1978. A list of quarries currently fulfilling this requirement is available at: National Liming Programme 2023.
Valid soil samples must be available to show the need to correct soil pH (maximum of four years old from date of purchasing the lime). In accordance with the Terms and Conditions soil analysis reports will need to be made available if required as part of the department’s administrative and compliance checks.
For farmers who avail of the extended spreading deadline, further checks will be carried out in spring 2024 to verify that lime has been spread. This would involve additional documentation being requested from the farmer showing lime has been delivered.
To qualify for aid farmers must submit correct invoices marked PAID.
The Terms and Conditions for the Liming Programme are available at: National Liming Programme 2023.