From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Following the recent announcement by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. and Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity with special responsibility for Horticulture, Senator Pippa Hackett, regarding the distribution of the funds allocated under the EU Agricultural Reserve, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) are now accepting applications under the Horticulture Crisis Fund (HCF).
The HCF is a support measure that will be provided in the form of a once off payment to brown mushroom, heated strawberry, field vegetable, field salad crop, apple, vertical farmed greens and glasshouse high wire crop growers that are most affected by the continued high level of input costs.
The support package will help to ensure the short-term security and thus the long-term viability of growers in these subsectors. HCF payments will be made in January 2024 and eligible applicants will be paid based on the number of hectares in production and in the case of mushrooms, growers will be paid on the weight (kgs) of mushrooms sold. Caps on payments per grower will be applied should the scheme be oversubscribed.
Further information, along with the Scheme Terms and Conditions and the application form can be found on DAFM’s website at the following link gov.ie - Schemes and Payments (www.gov.ie).
Completed application forms and supporting documentation must be submitted by midnight Wednesday 1st November 2023.
Queries regarding the Scheme should be directed to:
Address: Horticulture Crisis Fund, Horticulture and Plant Health Division, Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Administration Building, Backweston, Co. Kildare.W23 X3PH
Email: HCF@agriculture.gov.ie
Phone: 01 5058778
Application forms and the terms and conditions for the Scheme can be obtained on-line at: gov.ie - Schemes and Payments (www.gov.ie).
