The Department of Agriculture has amended the appeals form for lands categorised under the Good Agricultural and Environment Condition (GAEC) 2; Protection of Wetlands and Peatlands. The amendment is an addition of a small piece of text which the Department states clarifies that some of the documentation is not required in all cases and relates to the five requirements listed in Annex 1.

The text reads “documents number 3 and 4 are not required where no drainage works are planned on previously undrained / drained GAEC 2 land parcel(s) in 2025”. A requirement remains for farmers to sign and declare that that the parcel(s) in question has/have never been drained where drainage works are planned in 2025 which continues to cause consternation among some farmers and stakeholders as to why this remains. This likely only applies to a small cohort of appellants with the first three requirements applying to the majority of those wishing to submit an appeal.

The Department has also reiterated in correspondence issued to Farm Advisory System (FAS) advisors that “any farmer with a GAEC 2 land parcel, can appeal the categorisation and not just those who wish to carry out new drainage works on previously undrained land.”

The updated required Annex 1 documentation is as follows:

Required Documentation

1.Organic matter soil samples for each GAEC 2 parcel and the results must be from a DAFM accredited laboratory and linked to each LPIS parcel.

2.A detailed report from a DAFM approved FAS advisor giving a description of the parcel(s) land use, soil type and habitat. Geotagged photos of the soil profile (showing the depth of peat) and land use type must also be included.

3.Signed declaration from the appellant that the parcel(s) in question has/have never been drained and he/she plans to carry out drainage works in 2025 as required*.

4.Evidence to show that the appellant plans to carry out drainage work in 2025 e.g. contractor quotations, estimate of costs etc as required*.

5.Any other evidence the advisor / applicant wishes to submit in support of the appeal.

* Documents number 3 & 4 are not required where no drainage works are planned on previously undrained / drained GAEC 2 land parcel(s) in 2025.