Search Results for 'Environmental management scheme'

Almost 1,900 Mayo farmers have applied for the first tranche of GLAS funding.

An Taisce – the National Trust for Ireland – this week expressed serious concern at Minister Coveney’s recent announcement that there will be no rollover of REPS and no new AEOS entrants in 2014. The Minister claimed that this would achieve “national and European savings of about €25 million”. However, An Taisce believes that these savings mean that thousands of farmers implementing environmentally beneficial schemes and sustainable forms of agriculture will lose, in some cases, half of their total farm income in 2014.

Agriculture and the agri-food sectors have been successful areas in the otherwise struggling economy, and the Budget contains measures to help consolidate that work during 2011.

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.

The new agri-environment measure to be introduced next year must be properly targeted and capped, according to Fianna Fáil TD and member of the Oireachtas Committee, Bobby Aylward.