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Minister McConalogue announces important flexibility under the National Liming Programme 2023
Minister McConalogue announces important flexibility under the National Liming Programme 2023
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D, has today announced important flexibility under the National Liming Programme. The Programme is supported as a once-off Ukraine funded measure from the National Exchequer, with the current deadline for submitting claims and spreading lime set as the 31st of October.
Whilst the deadline of 31 October 2023 remains in place for invoices marked paid, flexibility is now being introduced to allow lime delivery and spreading after the claim has been submitted. Such lime can be spread up to 31 March 2024.
The Liming Programme was introduced by the Minister earlier this year to incentivise the use of Lime, to correct soil acidity, make nutrients more available for plant uptake, and improve overall soil health.
Announcing the decision, Minister McConalogue stated
“I recognise that weather conditions during 2023 resulted in significant challenges to the spreading of lime which diminished opportunities to avail of this support. To address this challenge, I am today providing important flexibility for farmers that purchase lime in 2023 but spread it when ground conditions are more optimum which could be into early 2024.”
The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine will accept claims from farmers up to 31 October 2023, based on receipts clearly marked paid, BUT importantly, without confirmation of spreading having been completed.
Minister McConalogue added:
“This will allow latitude to farmers to purchase lime but await delivery and spreading until conditions allow, with the latest date for spreading being the 31 March 2024”.
Farmers are reminded that, the submission of an Invoice/Receipt marked paid is still required by 31 October. This is to allow DAFM comply with the parameters of the budgetary sanction for the Liming Programme- i.e., payments within the 2023 budget year. 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 i.e., showing lime being delivered. Attention was also drawn to the need to submit correct invoices marked PAID to allow payments issue promptly.
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.