Minister Heydon announces €8.3 million of payments under the Straw Incorporation Measure

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, today announced that payments have begun issuing to farmers under the Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM). Funding of €8.3 million will issue from today, with further payments issuing in the coming weeks to farmers who have participated in the scheme in 2025.

Commenting on the announcement, Minister Heydon said:

The Straw Incorporation Measure has proved very popular with tillage farmers and 2025 saw a significant increase in the number of hectares applied to be incorporated.

Concluding, the Minister added:

Farmers wishing to contact the department regarding their Straw Incorporation payment, can ring the Direct Payments Helpline at 057-8674422 or email Tillage@agriculture.gov.ie.

The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between society and agriculture that ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmers’ income, protects the environment and keeps rural areas vibrant. EU countries implement the CAP at national level with a tailored CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027. For more information, visit www.gov.ie/cap.

The Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) is a scheme under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023 - 2027. The scheme is designed to provide financial support for tillage farmers to increase soil organic carbon levels by chopping and incorporating straw from cereal crops.

The rate is €250 per hectare for Oats, Wheat, Barley and Rye and a lower rate of €150 for Oilseed Rape straw. Payments will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days. €8.3 million will be paid to 1,811 herds at this time.

In line with previous years, not all applications are currently cleared for payment under the Straw Incorporation Scheme. Regular pay runs will continue in the coming weeks to ensure cleared cases are processed for payment as quickly as possible.

Farmers can ring the Helpdesk at 057-8674422. Farmers can also submit any queries they may have online via www.agfood.ie or by email to Tillage@agriculture.gov.ie.