Horticulture Crisis Fund now open to Kilkenny growers

Applications under the Horticulture Crisis Fund (HCF) are now being accepted, following the recent announcement regarding the distribution of the funds allocated under the EU Agricultural Reserve, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM).

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 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, in the case of mushrooms, the weight (kgs) of mushrooms sold. Caps on payments per grower will be applied if the scheme is oversubscribed.
The application deadline is midnight Wednesday, November 1.