Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, T.D., has today announced a one-week extension to the closing date for receipt of claims under the National Liming Programme.
Wet weather over the summer and autumn significantly diminished many farmers opportunities to spread lime this year. In response to this on 06 October Minister McConalogue announced that, provided an invoice marked paid was submitted with the payment claim, the lime could be delivered and spread up to 31 March 2024.
In recent days quarries have experienced a significant increase in the number of farmers seeking to forward buy lime for delivery and spreading by the end of March. In some cases this has resulted in quarries suspending sales as they could not guarantee they would have payments processed and invoices marked paid issued to all their customers in time for the claim to be submitted to the Department.
Responding to this situation Minister McConalogue stated: “Given the difficult weather conditions, I introduced flexibility at the start of October to allow farmers spread lime under the Liming Programme up to 31 March 2024, provided the lime was paid for and the claim for aid submitted to my Department by 31 October.
“Significant numbers of farmers have opted to avail of this important flexibility. Such is the demand that a number of quarries have advised that, as they can’t guarantee their customers will have an invoice marked paid in time for next Tuesday’s deadline, they are ceasing to take orders. Given the environmental benefits associated with the application of lime to correct soil pH, I want to ensure all approved farmers can avail of this scheme and purchase lime. I am therefore granting a one-week extension with the scheme now closing for claims at midnight on 07 November.”
Letterkenny Councillor Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly added: “I am delighted, after making representations on behalf of farmers in Donegal, to have the liming claims date extended. This will hopefully be of benefit to farmers under pressure to meet the current deadline to get the lime spread.”
Minister McConalogue continued by stating “The Programme is supported as a once-off Ukraine funded measure from the National Exchequer, farmer payments have to be paid from the 2023 budget. To allow time for claim processing there will be no further extension to the deadline for receipt of claims.”
