It will be a case of keeping existing farm schemes going in Budget 2024, with allocations for the Department of Agriculture for next year to be confirmed on Tuesday.

With the CAP and forestry programme schemes already up and running, their funding has been pre-announced and detailed, with little more to be revealed on budget day.

Officials in Ag House on Monday conceded that for the most part, there won’t be any golden ticket in Budget 2024 for agriculture.

In some cases, for example ACRES where the scheme was oversubscribed last year, standing still is already a funding increase, according to one senior official.

ACRES

ACRES was originally launched with a budget to take in 30,000 farmers in 2022 and 20,000 in 2023. With 46,000 farmers accepted into the scheme last year, it is understood there will be nowhere near the budget to take in the pre-planned 20,000 farmers this year. A number of scheme spots closer to 4,000 will remain the target.

Budget 2024 will be announced on Tuesday. \ Houses of the Oireachtas

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that both ACRES and the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) will reopen without set farmer intakes and that a decision will be made on the cut-off once the level of interest becomes clear.

Farmers can also expect little from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) fund, something which farm organisations have been calling for over the last few months, particularly for the sheep sector.

However, it is thought that there will be a per-cow and per-ewe allocation for suckler and sheep farmers, although it will be nowhere near the €20/ewe and €300/cow sought by some farm organisations - and Sinn Féin.

There is little detail on this allocation, particularly on that for suckler farmers.

Nitrates

Support for farmers hit by the nitrates derogation cut from 250kg to 220kg is potentially in the budget mix, but is not a done deal.

If it is to be added to the Department of Agriculture’s budget, it is understood that it will be down to the three Government party leaders, rather than the three ministers at Ag House – Charlie McConalogue, Pippa Hackett and Martin Heydon.

Farmers await the full details of Budget 2024.

Government is set to make concessions on the residential zoned land tax with a move either to exclude farmers altogether from the tax or pause it for a year on the table.

There will be no budget allocation or funding for farmers hit with ash dieback, with a support package expected to come from within the forestry programme's existing budget at a later point.

For full coverage of what’s in Tuesday’s budget for farmers, see the Irish Farmers Journal in print and online.