There is only a number of days left for farmers to apply for the Fodder Support Scheme, which will pay up to €100/ha to beef and sheep farmers who saved silage or hay over the summer.

A total of 53,764 applications have been completed by farmers for payment under the scheme to-date, with western counties showing the highest levels of farmer interest, along with Co Cork.

There was an almost 40% spike in the number of applications reported to the Irish Farmers Journal as having been received by the Department of Agriculture over the past week.

The scheme closes to applications on Tuesday 2 August and farmers can find out the details of where to apply here.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the Department’s current projections suggest that all eligible applicants will receive the full €100/ha payment, as the €56m scheme is not set to be oversubscribed.

“The key priority is to get as many eligible farmers to apply as part of the efforts to ensure adequate fodder reserves are saved for the winter ahead,” a spokesperson for Minister McConalogue told the Irish Farmers Journal.