Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2023
497. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications to the protein aid scheme to date in 2023; the level of funding allocated to date in 2023; if he intends to increase the overall funding for the scheme in 2024 in order to allow more farmers to partake in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30591/23]
View answerThe Protein Aid Scheme is a Voluntary Coupled Income Support under article 33 of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115.
The scheme is designed to provide a direct financial support for farmers who grow eligible protein crops which fix nitrogen in the soil from the atmosphere, thereby resulting in reduced chemical nitrogen fertiliser dependency.
A budget of €35 million over the lifetime of Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan (2023-2027) has been allocated to Protein Aid. This equates to €7 million annually, a significant increase over previous years budgets of €3 million per annum.
Applications for the scheme were made via the 2023 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) online application system. The closing date for applications was 29 May. However late applications could be submitted up to midnight on 23 June and the final total number of protein applications is not yet available.
