The funding provided for GLAS in 2015 is inadequate, IFA Rural Development chairman Flor McCarthy said.

Fears have also been raised after Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney confirmed that farmers would only get “three or four months” of payments under GLAS next year.

Minister Coveney confirmed that applications would open for 20,000 farmers in December, but it would take five months to work these applications.

“Minister Coveney’s statement that farmers joining GLAS would receive payments for just three months in 2015, and the allocation he has made, are unacceptable. That payment would do no more than pay for the farmer’s GLAS plan.

“It would lead to a massive income loss on the thousands of farms that depend on direct payments,” he said.

“Up to 35,000 farmers are now finished or finishing in agri-environment schemes. The Minister must open GLAS early and make a payment covering at least nine months of 2015 to applicants. Funding of up to €100m will be necessary.”

He said that over half of the funding announced by the Minister for 2015 is to make payments relating to 2014.

“The income of agri environment schemes on farm incomes in 2015 will be at its lowest in many years.”