Around 11,500 of the 14,000 farmers that applied under GLAS II have been accepted into the scheme.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney confirmed his Department will be issuing formal approval letters to successful applicants later this week. These farmers will get a five-year contract starting from 1 January 2016.

While the number set out under the budget was 13,000 places, priority was clearly given in this tranche to what are called Tier 1 and Tier 2 candidates. There were 7,100 applicants under Tier 1, with 4,200 farmers applying under Tier 2. These are farmers who either manage key environmental assets such as endangered birds, protected habitats or high-quality watercourses, or who have committed to undertake valuable environmental actions such as growing feed crops for wild birds, adopting low-impact tillage techniques or using low-emission slurry spreading methods.

ADVERTISEMENT

This focus on the first two tiers meant that 2,500 of the 2,700 farmers who applied under Tier 3 were not accepted. They will have to wait until the autumn to apply under the third tranche.

In setting out his plans for the scheme, the minister confirmed that this tranche of the scheme (GLAS III) will be launched in the autumn. With 38,000 farmers already accepted, there is scope for 12,000 additional places.

“Those who were unsuccessful this time around will be free to apply again, or indeed to upgrade their applications to increase the chances of success,” the minister said.

The minister did confirm that all GLAS II applications from new entrants to farming in 2015, and from new farm partnerships, were also being granted priority access under this round, including applications by Tier 3 candidates.

He accepted the argument made by various farming organisations that these candidates had been unable to apply under GLAS I, and were deserving of special consideration. He said he was happy to accommodate them under this round.

With a general election in the offing, it was clear that pressure from the EU was one of the main reasons the Department focused on Tier 1 and Tier 2 farmers. It means that at this point some 75% of all approved GLAS plans fall into these two categories. Officials said this ensures the funds available under the scheme are being targeted at the areas most in need and delivering best value-for-money.

The latest GLAS entrants bring the total number in the scheme to some 38,000 – a record number of entrants to an agri-environment scheme in a single year, according the Minister.

Huge endorsement

“This represents a huge endorsement of the scheme by Irish farmers and delivers on this Government’s commitment to implementing an accessible agri-environment scheme which recognises the critical role played by Irish farmers in protecting and enhancing our natural resources,” he said.

With the approval letters sent, the focus will switch back to making payments to farmers under GLAS I in the coming weeks. Of the 26,000 farmers who applied for GLAS I, only 17,500 have received a first instalment of their 2015 payment, with an average payment of €650 per applicant.