Written answers
Tuesday, 3 October 2023
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Agriculture Schemes
Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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478. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider extending the liming scheme until March 2024, taking into account the exceptional wet summer and soil saturation directly affecting 25,000 farmers who have applied for the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42298/23]
Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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479. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider lime suppliers from the North of Ireland for approval; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42299/23]
Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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480. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider an upward adjustment to the €8 million allocated for the lime scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42300/23]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 478, 479 and 480 together.
The Liming Programme was introduced by my Department to incentivise the use of Lime a natural soil conditioner, which corrects soil acidity by neutralising the acids that are present in the soil.
Almost 41,000 applications were received from farmers seeking to participate in the Programme. In response to this phenomenal level of interest, in August I secured and announced a doubling of the budget for the Programme.
This budget increase facilitated approval for up to 40 tonnes of lime per eligible applicant.
Earlier this year the Terms and Conditions for the Programme we amended to include provision for quarries located in Northern Ireland to supply lime under the Liming Programme, provided they meet the minimum specification for liming material as set out under S.I. No. 248/1978.
The closing date for receipt of claims under the Liming Programme is 31 October. The Programme itself is funded by the National Exchequer as part of a once-off set of measures for 2023 in response to the situation in Ukraine. There is currently no funding provision available to extend the Programme into 2024.
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