The second phase of the soil sampling and analysis programme is now open for farmers to apply, the Department of Agriculture has announced.

This scheme is a farm-level soil sampling and analysis initiative which provides farmers and their advisers with details about the nutrient status, carbon status and indicators of soil health on their farms.

Another 90,000 samples from farms all over the country are expected to be carried out during this phase of the scheme.

Participation is voluntary and it is open to all regions and farming enterprises.

Eligible land

Land declared on 2023 Basic Income Support and Sustainability (BISS) Scheme is eligible to be tested. However, the sampling area cannot exceed 4ha, except where soil types and cropping of lands were similar during the previous five years, the Department said.

Applications will be processed and accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. If the scheme is oversubscribed, a relative balance of enterprise type and region will be applied to select participants.

The initial pilot programme I introduced was the most comprehensive soil analysis programme ever undertaken

Announcing the programme, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said: “I am delighted to see phase two of the soil sampling and analysis programme opening to farmers.

"The initial pilot programme I introduced was the most comprehensive soil analysis programme ever undertaken in this country, with over 90,0000 samples analysed and 7,500 farmers involved.

"Phase two will now build on this success by providing valuable information to farmers to inform decisions that promote the health of their soils.

"Nutrient management and soil health are central to achieving economic and environmental sustainability on farms and are therefore high priorities for my Department and form part of our commitments in the Programme for Government.”

Focus on improvement

In addition, Minister of State Pippa Hackett has also welcomed the announcement and said that 95% of the food we eat starts with the soil and it is important that farmers continue to focus on improving the physical, chemical and biological properties of their soils so they can continue to produce high-quality nutritional food and deliver other ecosystems service.

Minister Martin Heydon added: “This investment builds upon the research calls that I made last year and again in recent months related to soils.

"I am particularly pleased that we continue to develop our national surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in soils with the inclusion of testing for the presence of ESBL producing E coli in the programme.”