Grain growers welcome tweaks to Farming For Water project
Adjustments to the Farming for Water programme, sought by the Irish Grain Growers’ Group (IGGG), have recently been confirmed.
The two developments are - an increase in the area that can be applied for up to 40ha, and greater flexibility with respect to the sowing of cover crops.
IGGG secretary, Clive Carter, told Agriland: “The original area that could be claimed for was 20ha. Where cover crops are concerned, greater flexibility is now allowed within the winter cropping system.
“A fixed date of August 1 was originally introduced. However, greater flexibility in this regard will, most likely lend to more cover cropping post the harvesting of crops, including winter wheat, winter oats and winter oilseed rape.”
“These two adjustments should make the Farming for Water Programme more attractive and workable to potential tillage farmer participants," he added.
The application process for the cover cropping element of the programme has also been simplified and farmers are advised to contact Teagasc to find out more information about this.
According to the IGGG, the Farming for Water Programme now offers an additional potential is potential income of €9,160 per year, based on a 40ha application area.
“The programme will aid the goal to have more cover crops sown in Ireland. This is a core objective of the National Climate Action Plan," Carter continued.
“These steps should also help improve water quality and soil structure in Ireland.”
The €60 million Farming for Water project is the largest European Innovation Partnership (EIP) ever to be carried out in Ireland and aims to address water quality challenges while delivering additional environmental benefits.
It is being delivered by the Local Authority Water Programme (LAWPRO), in partnership with Teagasc and Dairy Industry Ireland (DII).
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has allocated a budget of €50 million over five years, which will cover payments for up to 15,000 farmers.
In addition, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has earmarked €10 million to cover the administrative and operational costs of the EIP.
European Innovation Partnership Agriculture (EIP-Agri) projects are locally led and collaborative in nature. They tackle issues affecting natural resources, such as water, in an innovative way.
Learnings from previous successful EIP projects funded by the department under the Rural Development Programme have already been scaled up into nationwide schemes, including the agri-environment scheme, ACRES.
