Further extension to liming programme announced

A further extension to the date by which lime must be spread under the National Liming Programme has been announced.

Lime, purchased under the scheme, can now be spread by Thursday, 31 October 2024, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D announced yesterday, June 12.

Announcing the decision, Minister McConalogue said: “While I had hoped the previous extension would allow ground conditions improve to allow the spreading of lime, it is clear that soil trafficability has not improved sufficiently in some parts of the country and a further extension is now required.

“Information from quarries estimates that a little over 30% of pre-paid lime has been spread to date, with this figure being lower in certain parts of the country. With the previous deadline fast approaching, I am extending the spreading date until the end of October to give all farmers the opportunity to apply lime as per the conditions of the scheme.”

The National Liming Programme was introduced by the Minister in spring 2023 to incentivise the use of lime as a natural soil conditioner which corrects soil acidity, makes nutrients more available for plant uptake and improves overall soil health.

Over 14,500 claims were submitted under the National Liming Programme with advance payments issued to farmers in December 2023. Payments were conditional on the purchase of lime no later than November 7 2023 and subsequent spreading before the end of June. This date is now extended until 31 October 2024. There will be no further extension beyond this date as balancing payments are required to be processed and made in 2024.

Also read: The lime, silage and slurry quandary