Farm schemes totalling €500m must be protected in next month’s national budget, according to the IFA.

With just over a month to go before Finance Minister Michael Noonan announces Budget 2015, the IFA president has called on Minister Noonan and Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney to protect agriculture and rural Ireland.

“The Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney must fight for the allocation of €500m plus of funding for RDP farm schemes in the budget at the Cabinet table in the coming weeks. This funding will be critical to ensure the opening of the GLAS scheme, with payments in 2015, full payment of the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, discussion group funding and funding for on-farm investment across all sectors through the TAMS,” Eddie Downey said.

Patrick Donohoe