Farmers will have to wait at least another year before the GLAS scheme starts.

Speaking exclusively to the Irish Farmers Journal on Tuesday, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said that September 2015 was the likely start date for the new agri- environmental scheme. It would mean some applicants will not receive a first payment until early 2016.

He expects GLAS to open for applications before the end of this year and suggested a new higher ceiling of 30,000 entrants in 2015, albeit for a short year.

In relation to land eligibility, the Minister confirmed that some farmers will face retrospective repayment where “payments were made on land we now know to be ineligible”.

“Only a fraction of 1% of farmers have a really big issue,” he said.

Coveney said that new high-end markets are key for dairy expansion and to underpin beef prices. He expects Irish beef to be the first from the EU in the US come the autumn.

The Minister also confirmed that he has been “using every contact I have” to lobby on behalf of Phil Hogan to be the next EU Commissioner for Agriculture.

The Irish mindset on agriculture is the approach Europe needs now, Coveney said.

Read the full interview with Simon Coveney here.