Approximately 1,300 farmers have indicated their interest in the catch crop measure under the Farming for Water pilot project.

Applications are still being processed under the European Innovation Partnership project which has a €60m budget and has water improvement funding for all agricultural sectors.

Farmers can grow up to 40ha of catch crops under the scheme if their fields are in a nitrate vulnerable zone.

The measure gives great flexibility as the area planted does not have to be submitted until 1 October, so farmers are paid for what they plant and do not have to plant crops in inappropriate weather conditions. It also provides higher payments than the ACRES.

The majority of farmers will not be planting the 40ha under the scheme, as most tillage farmers have less than 30ha and some already plant catch crops under ACRES. However, the area of catch crops is still set to jump massively.

If the 1,300 applicants grew an average of 10ha each, that would equate to 13,000ha. Over 30,000ha of catch crops are estimated to be grown in Ireland each year, over 20,000ha of these under ACRES.

Cathal Somers, water quality specialist with Teagasc, said: “The use of catch crops can play an important role on Irish farms in reducing nutrient and sediment loss from farms to water, resulting in improved water quality in our waterbodies.”