A €147m package to support French farmers affected by the surge in fertiliser prices this year is set to open for applications next week.

The aid package consists of €107m from the EU’s crisis reserve fund and around €40m in French national funding.

The French package is expected to deliver a subsidy of between €50/t and €70/t to successful farmer applicants.

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The scheme applies to eligible fertiliser purchases between 1 June and 30 September and a dedicated government support portal for farmers to apply will open on 1 August.

The French move ramps up the pressure on Minister for Agriculture Martin Hayden to clarify Ireland’s intentions around fertiliser supports.

Allocation

Ireland was allocated €15m from the EU crisis fund, with the national exchequer allowed to co-finance this amount by up to 200%. This means that an Irish fund could total €45m.

While Minister Hayden has indicated that he will seek to secure the additional co-financing, it is still unclear whether his efforts on this front have been successful and how payments would be made to farmers.

“If there is money available for our farmers, I have a proven track record of going after that and working through details of what is possible and what is the best use of any money that is available to us,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal shortly after the EU crisis fund allocation for Ireland was announced.

Meanwhile, in addition to the farmer supports, the French government has announced a €2bn investment programme to modernise the country’s fertiliser production capacity.

In a further move, the French government put a €144m state aid package in place to help the production of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen for the fertiliser sector.

Fertiliser prices across the world have soared since the start of the war in the Persian Gulf involving Iran, the US and Israel.