Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has announced the opening of the 2023 Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measures. The measures were launched on April 12th, and the total budget is €2.5 million, Minister McConalogue said: “A payment rate of up to €300/ha is also being provided for, which represents a significant increase on the rate of aid paid last year.”
The Minister also announced a number of key changes compared to last year’s Pilot Measures including:
- payments will be made directly to the approved farmer on a per hectare basis
- the payment rate has been increased significantly up to a potential €300 per hectare where eligible swards are established. A reduced payment rate per hectare will apply as appropriate if eligible applications exceed the available combined budget for the two measures
- to receive payment under either measure, an applicant must indicate the correct crop type on their 2023 BISS application
To apply, an applicant/their agent needs to log into Agfood.ie and then select “Multi-Species Sward and Red Clover Silage Measure”, they then select “Schemes to Enter” and finally “Multi-Species Sward Measure (MSSM) 2023/Red Clover Silage Measure (RCSM) 2023”.
Applicants must agree to the declarations and Terms & Conditions. The application portal will close on 29 May 2023.
Perspective applicants should read the Terms and Conditions published at:
To be eligible under these measures the swards must be sown by 15 July and established by 30 September 2023. At claim stage applicants must indicate the area sown as multi-species/red clover and upload their supporting documentation online, that is, invoices and seed labels.
Please note that only seed purchased after the application is lodged on agfood.ie and before the final date for sowing the crop, 15 July 2023 is eligible under these measures.
