A degree of clarity is emerging regarding commonages and CAP reform. On Tuesday, the Commonage Implementation committee met for the first time. There is significant pressure on this group, with last Thursday’s large turnout in Westport highlighting the extent of dissatisfaction on the ground.

On Wednesday, IFA Hill chairman Pat Dunne and members of his committee met with department officials. The meeting was described as “robust”, with the IFA expressing the level of disquiet with proposals for commonages. Pat Dunne told the Irish Farmers Journal that he made known the unacceptable vacuum on information and planning.

The IFA made it clear that it rejects any linkage between Pillar I single payments and minimum/maximum stocking rates as set out on the commonage framework scheme. “The requirements for single payment do require that land be in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC),” Dunne said.

“This should require no more than the absolute minimum stocking rate, as agreed by farmers and their planners.”

In terms of access to GLAS for commonage farmers, IFA say that the Department did clarify the extent of each commonage shareholder’s responsibility.

“Each farmer is required to enter into a management plan with his planner, and no more than that,” Dunne said. The collective agreement would essentially be the sum of these plans.

The Hill Farmer Action Group, through spokesman Colm O’Donnell in his interview in these pages two weeks ago, accepted the need for co-operation between fellow commonage shareholders. They wanted collective agreements to be sufficient for entry to GLAS plus, worth up to €2,000/annum more than GLAS.

Pat Dunne said: “The Department stated that there is no necessity for an individual farmer to meet with anyone other than his planner, and as long as he adheres to his management plan, he will draw down his payment, irrespective of what his fellow commonage shareholders do.”

In relation to priority access to GLAS for all commonage farmers, Pat Dunne told the Department that it must find a way to honour the Minister’s commitment that no farmer would be excluded by the 50% threshold. “We expect the Minister to use force majeure to accommodate an individual where less than 50% of his fellow active shareholders sign up,” he said.

“We know that GLAS must be a standard above that which is in place for the Single payment,” said Pat Dunne. Dunne pointed out that the delegation he led included representation from right across all regions of commonage. “We had farmers from Donegal, Mayo, Connemara, Kerry, West Cork, Wicklow, and the Cooley peninsula along,” he said. Dunne confirmed that the IFA in conjunction with ICMSA, ICSA and Macra will meet with the Commonage Implementation committee next Thursday 4 September in Athenry.