A total of 38,737 farmers have applied to the €56m Fodder Support Scheme.

The scheme will pay farmers €100/ha up to a maximum of 10ha for silage or hay conserved before 5 September. Farmers have until 2 August to apply for the scheme.

The scheme is proving popular with farmers in the west, with just over 4,000 farmers from Galway applying to the scheme.

Almost 3,500 farmers in Mayo, 3,168 farmers in Cork and 2,922 farmers in Roscommon have applied to the scheme.

The higher applications in the west would reflect the higher numbers of sheep and suckler farmers in these counties, along with dairy farmers being excluded from applying.

Farmers can apply to the scheme through their agfood account and a step-by-step guide is available here.

Two cuts of silage

If, for example, a farmer makes two cuts of silage and/or hay on 5ha of ground, they will receive up to €1,000 as they have harvested two crops of fodder on the parcels.

The second-cut option should be indicated on the application in the requisite space, clearly outlining you are committing to cut and

conserve 5ha of silage/hay on the first cut and a further 5ha for the second cut.

At least 5% of farmers in the scheme will be selected for inspection, with a further 3% subject to administrative checks.

Payments under the scheme are expected to issue to farmers in late November 2022.