Payments commence issuing to horticultural growers under the Horticulture Crisis Fund
- Published on: 29 January 2024
- Last updated on: 23 May 2024
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity with special responsibility for Horticulture, Senator Pippa Hackett, today announced that payments under the Horticulture Crisis Fund have issued to eligible applicants.
The fund, allocated under the EU Agriculture Reserve, is a support measure worth €2.38 million, provided in the form of a once-off payment to horticultural growers most affected by the continued high level of input costs.
Making the announcement, Minister McConalogue said:
“I welcome the commencement of payments under the Horticulture Crisis Fund. Increased input costs, coupled with unfavourable weather conditions for those with field crops have resulted in the Irish horticulture sector facing significant challenges over the past year. This fund will help to support this vitally important sector during this challenging period, thereby securing its future.”
Minister Hackett added:
“2023 was a difficult year for many in the horticulture sector and it is vital that we acknowledge this and recognise the vital role they play in providing nutritious food for consumers across Ireland. The Horticulture Crisis Fund targets supports at those growers who encountered the highest losses and was designed to ensure the short-term security and ultimately the long-term viability of their businesses. I will continue to work with the sector in the coming months and to ensure a future for high quality produce in our shopping baskets and on our plates.”
Notes
The Horticulture Crisis Fund is funded pursuant to Commission Delegated Regulation 2023/1465 providing for emergency financial support for the agricultural sectors affected by specific problems impacting on the economic viability of agricultural producers.
The horticulture subsectors supported under this Scheme include commercial growers in the glasshouse high-wire crops, brown mushrooms, heated strawberries, field vegetables (excluding potatoes), field salad crops, apples and vertical farmed greens.
Payments to growers in the high-wire crops, heated strawberries, field vegetables, field salad crops, vertically grown greens and apple sectors will be made on an area basis (per hectare) for crops grown in 2023. For brown mushrooms, payments will be calculated on the level of brown mushrooms sold and will be based on the quantity (weight in kilograms) of mushrooms sold over the period from 1 January 2023 to 30 September 2023.
Payments will be capped at €100,000 per beneficial owner.
Payments to growers of field vegetables and field salad crops will be made at a rate of €400 per hectare.
Payments to growers of high-wire crops will be calculated for a maximum of 2 hectares. A rate of €70,000 will be paid for the first hectare in production and €30,000 for the second or the pro-rata equivalent.
Payments to growers of heated strawberry crops will be calculated for a maximum of 2 hectares. A rate of €50,000 will be paid for the first hectare in production and €20,000 for the second or the pro-rata equivalent.
Payments to growers of vertically grown greens will be paid a rate of €25,525 for the first hectare in production or the pro-rata equivalent.
Payments to growers of apples will be at a rate of €310 per hectare.
Payments to growers of brown mushrooms will be calculated at a rate of €0.015/KG on the level of brown mushrooms sold over the period from 1 January 2023 to 30 September 2023.