"I introduced the scheme last year to help farmers reduce their chemical fertiliser and it has proven to be successful.

“Funding has been increased to €2.5m to allow for greater support in establishing these swards. A payment rate of up to €300/ha is also being provided for, which represents a significant increase on the rate of aid paid last year”.

The Minister also announced a number of key changes compared to last year’s Pilot Measures including:

• Payments will be made directly to the approved farmer on a per hectare basis.
• The payment rate has been increased significantly up to a potential €300 per hectare where eligible swards are established. A reduced payment rate per hectare will apply as appropriate if eligible applications exceed the available combined budget for the two measures.

To receive payment under either Measure, an applicant must indicate the correct crop type on their 2023 BISS application.

Trial work on Multi-Species Swards has shown positive results around low nitrogen fertiliser use which has a beneficial impact on reducing nitrous oxide emissions while reducing input costs for farmers.

Meanwhile research on Red Clover Silage has shown that due to its nitrogen fixing ability, these swards are higher in protein than conventional silage and combined with their ability to yield over 14t DM/ha will assist farmers in reducing their concentrate feed bills while also benefiting the environment and reducing GHG emissions.

How to apply

• To apply, an applicant/their agent needs to log into Agfood.ie and then select “Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measure”, they then select “Schemes to Enter” and finally “Multi-Species Sward Measure (MSSM) 2023/Red Clover Silage Measure (RCSM) 2023”.
• Applicants must agree to the declarations and Terms & Conditions. The application portal will close on 29th May 2023.
• In order to receive payment under the Multi-Species Sward Measure, for the parcel(s) where they are establishing the multi-species swards, an applicant must indicate either of the following crop types on their 2023 BISS application:
• Permanent Pasture (MSS measure) (for reseeding permanent pasture with multi-species sward mixture)
• Or
• Grass Year 1 (MSS measure) (for multi-species sward mixture following an arable crop)
• In order to receive payment under the Red Clover Silage Measure, for the parcel(s) where they are sowing the red clover silage mixture, an applicant must indicate the crop type as Red Clover on their 2023 BISS application,.
• Under the Measures, swards are not permitted to be sown on Commonage land, Natura 2000 sites, NHA designated land, Environmentally Sensitive Permanent Grassland or within archaeological monument buffer zones.
• To be eligible under these Measures the swards must be sown by 15th July and established by 30th September 2023.
• At claim stage applicants must indicate the area sown as multi-species/red clover and upload their supporting documentation online i.e. invoices and seed labels.
• Only seed purchased after the application is lodged on Agfood.ie and before the final date for sowing the crop, 15th July 2023 is eligible under these Measures.