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Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has announced the opening of the 2023 Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measures.
Launching the measures with a budget of €2.5 million, Minister McConalogue said:
“As part of the government’s commitment to facilitating Irish farmers further improve the sustainability of Irish agriculture, I am delighted to announce the reopening of these two measures which will expand the areas already established under last year’s pilot programmes. I introduced the scheme last year to help farmers reduce their chemical fertiliser and it has proven to be successful.
“Funding has been increased to €2.5 million to allow for greater support in establishing these swards. A payment rate of up to €300/ha is also being provided for, which represents a significant increase on the rate of aid paid last year."
The Minister also announced a number of key changes compared to last year’s Pilot Measures including:
Trial work on Multi-Species Swards has shown positive results around low nitrogen fertiliser use which has a beneficial impact on reducing nitrous oxide emissions while reducing input costs for farmers.
The different rooting structures in these swards allow for improved soil structure along with a greater tolerance to drought conditions. While the species mix also benefits biodiversity. Speaking in advance of a meeting of the National Fodder and Food Security group, Minister McConalogue highlighted the contribution these crops can make to provision of low cost feed and fodder on farms this year.
Research 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 while also benefiting the environment and reducing GHG emissions.
Minister of State Pippa Hackett who has responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity also welcomed the opening of the measures. She said:
“I’ve seen first hand on farms across the country how effective multi-species swards can be. This is further evidence of the government’s support for farmers who wish to move to more environmentally sustainable methods of farming. These swards will have a positive impact on greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity and water quality, while also providing a strong economic benefit to farmers."
Welcoming the opening of the scheme, Minister of State with responsibility for research and innovation, Martin Heydon, said:
“The significant investment in research to date has shown the economic potential that multi-species swards offer farmers and will help give farmers confidence to embrace these newer sward types. I encourage farmers to look at these measures and take advantage of the environmental and economic benefits they provide."
These measures are being introduced to promote environmentally sustainable methods of farming, which will have a positive impact on climate emissions, biodiversity and water quality.
Research work carried out on multi-species swards has shown an ability to produce higher dry matter yields from lower nitrogen fertiliser inputs. Red Clover due to its Nitrogen fixing ability produces fodder higher in protein than conventional silage and will assist farmers in reducing their concentrate feed bills.
Payments will be made directly to approved applicants at a rate of up to €300 per hectare for the establishment of these swards. To keep the measures within the available budget, the payment rate per hectare will be reduced as appropriate if eligible applications exceed the available combined budget of €2.5 million for these measures.
Perspective applicants should read the Terms and Conditions published at:
To apply, an applicant/their agent needs to log into Agfood.ie and then select “Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measure”, they then select “Schemes to Enter” and finally “Multi-Species Sward Measure (MSSM) 2023/Red Clover Silage Measure (RCSM) 2023”.
Applicants must agree to the declarations and Terms & Conditions. The application portal will close on 29 May 2023.
In order to receive payment under the Multi-Species Sward Measure, for the parcel(s) where they are establishing the multi-species swards, an applicant must indicate either of the following crop types on their 2023 BISS application:
1. Permanent Pasture (MSS measure) (for reseeding permanent pasture with multi-species sward mixture)
or
2. Grass Year 1 (MSS measure) (for multi-species sward mixture following an arable crop)
In order to receive payment under the Red Clover Silage Measure, for the parcel(s) where they are sowing the red clover silage mixture, an applicant must indicate the crop type as Red Clover on their 2023 BISS application.
Under the measures, swards are not permitted to be sown on Commonage land, Natura 2000 sites, NHA designated land, Environmentally Sensitive Permanent Grassland or within archaeological monument buffer zones.
To be eligible under these measures the swards must be sown by 15 July and established by 30 September 2023.
At claim stage applicants must indicate the area sown as multi-species/red clover and upload their supporting documentation online, that is, invoices and seed labels.
Only seed purchased after the application is lodged on agfood.ie and before the final date for sowing the crop, 15 July 2023 is eligible under these measures.