Bioenergy Scheme grants for willow crop

The 2013 Bioenergy Scheme to grant aid planting of willow and miscanthus crops is now open for applications and interested farmers can apply for establishment grants of up to €1,300 per hectare to cover 50% of the cost of establishing these crops.

The financial allocation for the scheme in 2013 will be decided in the context of the Budget and Estimates for 2013.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said, “I am confident that the continued support through the Bioenergy Scheme, taken together with the REFIT tariffs for biomass introduced earlier this year, will result in increased interest from farmers who wish to move into energy crop production.”

The closing date for submission of applications for bioenergy pre-planting approval is Friday, Oct 12. Details of the scheme and application forms from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, or at the www.agriculture.gov.ie website.

Bioenergy schemes have supported the planting of 3,250 hectares of energy crops since 2007.