Paddy Denning
Beef farmer
“You have to spend a lot more money in the initial stages of schemes to get payments but I still think it’s worth it.
“I would be hoping to get into ACRES with riparian zones, riparian margins. In this county, you’ll have no problem finding waterways.
“I envisage that the next CAP or maybe even before that will move back towards food production.
“The turnaround is coming and we hit eight billion people. Where’s the food going to come from?
“The new payments are a major disadvantage to anyone leasing land. They will have two options now, sell their entitlements or they may take the land back, stock it at low levels and go into some of the schemes.”
Beef farmer Paddy Denning sees the emphasis on food production returning to CAP, saying that the new schemes are likely to lower production.
Dairy farmer
“There are a lot of those schemes not really relevant to dairy fellas with the price of milk at the moment. They are not attractive. If milk prices change, it could be a different story though. A lot of it depends on the land type too. I think dairy farmers will be a lot more cautious about leasing land now too. Any lad thinking of leasing land will lease the land and let the man that has the entitlements look after the entitlements himself.
“The nitrates will be the big one for dairy. I don’t think people realise yet what the new banding system and taking 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha will do. If prices dropped with the new nitrates [changes], numbers could drop too.”
Dairy farmer Thomas Rogers is not thinking of applying for ACRES with milk prices where they are.
Michael and Annie Lawless
Sucklers
“We will certainly look into ACRES now before the closing date. We will have to if we are to get any sort of payment under the new schemes. There’s no doubt about the schemes becoming more environmental but you can understand it with the way things are going.
“There’s no new money but there’s now two CAPs – one for farming and one for the environment. We just need new money for everything we are being asked to.”
Margins are tight in the sectors outside of dairying, according to Michael and Annie Lawless.
Sucklers
“What I heard here tonight, it doesn’t sound too good for sucklers and sheep. We really need more money for both. It will take agriculture to get the environment going right but they are depending on the same money that was always there.
“Convergence is going to hit a lot of farmers. I invested 25 or 30 years ago, went to the banks at that time too. Now, we will lose out on convergence. I don’t know how they expect young people to go farming with the way it’s going.”
Suckler farmer Thomas Leonard is disappointed with the new CAP's supports for the beef and sheep sectors.
Paddy Denning
Beef farmer
“You have to spend a lot more money in the initial stages of schemes to get payments but I still think it’s worth it.
“I would be hoping to get into ACRES with riparian zones, riparian margins. In this county, you’ll have no problem finding waterways.
“I envisage that the next CAP or maybe even before that will move back towards food production.
“The turnaround is coming and we hit eight billion people. Where’s the food going to come from?
“The new payments are a major disadvantage to anyone leasing land. They will have two options now, sell their entitlements or they may take the land back, stock it at low levels and go into some of the schemes.”
Beef farmer Paddy Denning sees the emphasis on food production returning to CAP, saying that the new schemes are likely to lower production.
Dairy farmer
“There are a lot of those schemes not really relevant to dairy fellas with the price of milk at the moment. They are not attractive. If milk prices change, it could be a different story though. A lot of it depends on the land type too. I think dairy farmers will be a lot more cautious about leasing land now too. Any lad thinking of leasing land will lease the land and let the man that has the entitlements look after the entitlements himself.
“The nitrates will be the big one for dairy. I don’t think people realise yet what the new banding system and taking 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha will do. If prices dropped with the new nitrates [changes], numbers could drop too.”
Dairy farmer Thomas Rogers is not thinking of applying for ACRES with milk prices where they are.
Michael and Annie Lawless
Sucklers
“We will certainly look into ACRES now before the closing date. We will have to if we are to get any sort of payment under the new schemes. There’s no doubt about the schemes becoming more environmental but you can understand it with the way things are going.
“There’s no new money but there’s now two CAPs – one for farming and one for the environment. We just need new money for everything we are being asked to.”
Margins are tight in the sectors outside of dairying, according to Michael and Annie Lawless.
Sucklers
“What I heard here tonight, it doesn’t sound too good for sucklers and sheep. We really need more money for both. It will take agriculture to get the environment going right but they are depending on the same money that was always there.
“Convergence is going to hit a lot of farmers. I invested 25 or 30 years ago, went to the banks at that time too. Now, we will lose out on convergence. I don’t know how they expect young people to go farming with the way it’s going.”
Suckler farmer Thomas Leonard is disappointed with the new CAP's supports for the beef and sheep sectors.
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