‘Adversely affected areas need further ANC support’ – INHFA
THE INHFA has called on Minister Michael Creed to use the current ANC review as a chance to target supports to the most naturally constrained areas of the country.
“A certain level of flexibility is available to the Minister to make such a provision which would be seen as an acknowledgement by Government ... of the additional constraints experienced by farmers with designated land.” \ Valerie O'Sullivan
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The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has called on Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to provide additional support to areas adversely affected by the Nature Directives. With the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme currently under review, INHFA president Colm O’Donnell said the minister needed to look at supporting those areas with specific permanent constraints.
He said: “A certain level of flexibility is available to the minister to make such a provision which would be seen as an acknowledgement by Government and the state of the additional constraints experienced by farmers with designated land.”
Meaningful targeting
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The INHFA also said there needed to be “meaningful targeting” of supports to the parts of the country that are deemed to be scientifically constrained in the review. O’Donnell said that the EU review was based on eight different criteria to ensure support went to areas with the highest levels of constraint.
The INHFA added that in 2017, it highlighted disparity in methodology used by the Department of Agriculture to calculate supports for each of the ANC payment bands. It welcomed the targeting of support to constrained areas when €25m was restored to the ANC scheme in last year’s budget.
O’Donnell said: “the INHFA position calls for the retention of the MSG (mountain grazing area) as a category in the review, with further targeting, along with the retention of the two lowland land types (more severely and less severely handicapped).”
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Title: ‘Adversely affected areas need further ANC support’ – INHFA
THE INHFA has called on Minister Michael Creed to use the current ANC review as a chance to target supports to the most naturally constrained areas of the country.
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The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has called on Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to provide additional support to areas adversely affected by the Nature Directives. With the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme currently under review, INHFA president Colm O’Donnell said the minister needed to look at supporting those areas with specific permanent constraints.
He said: “A certain level of flexibility is available to the minister to make such a provision which would be seen as an acknowledgement by Government and the state of the additional constraints experienced by farmers with designated land.”
Meaningful targeting
The INHFA also said there needed to be “meaningful targeting” of supports to the parts of the country that are deemed to be scientifically constrained in the review. O’Donnell said that the EU review was based on eight different criteria to ensure support went to areas with the highest levels of constraint.
The INHFA added that in 2017, it highlighted disparity in methodology used by the Department of Agriculture to calculate supports for each of the ANC payment bands. It welcomed the targeting of support to constrained areas when €25m was restored to the ANC scheme in last year’s budget.
O’Donnell said: “the INHFA position calls for the retention of the MSG (mountain grazing area) as a category in the review, with further targeting, along with the retention of the two lowland land types (more severely and less severely handicapped).”
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