Kilkenny IFA chairman Joan Fitzpatrick said the new Agri-Environment Scheme to replace REPS, which was launched recently by the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith, falls short of expectations and some farmers will be very disappointed that their payments will reduce under the new scheme.
However Joan Fitzpatrick acknowledged that significant improvements have been made to the original proposals following major lobbying by farmers on the ground, and in particular changes on the specifications and higher payments in SAC and commonage areas.
She said: “The Department of Agriculture must now immediately communicate the details of the scheme so farmers can assess it and identify how they can maximise payments on their farms.”
The Kilkenny IFA chairman said the scheme must operate in a flexible way so that the vast majority of farmers can get a payment of €5,000, and the objective must be to ensure that all farmers who apply are allowed into the scheme this year. It is of critical importance that the plans are cleared by June 1 at the latest, to allow payments and the €50m is utilised this year.
Also commenting on the new scheme Joan Fitzpatrick said that since the REPS 4 scheme was closed last July, agri-environment measures in Ireland have been seriously undermined.
The REPS scheme over the past 15 years had benefited the rural environment and the rural economy.
