Proposals for a new REPS-type scheme is welcome, but it must not distract from a potential payment gap for 36,000 GLAS farmers, IFA rural development chair Michael Biggins has warned.

Contracts for these farmers expire at the end of the year, with no guarantee that a replacement scheme will be in place.

“The priority for an incoming minister for agriculture must be to guarantee that that all farmers finishing GLAS later this year will be in an agri-environment scheme next year, whether this is a continuation of GLAS or this proposed REPS-type scheme,” Biggins said.

Extension

At a meeting with the Department of Agriculture last week, Biggins emphasised the need to get agreement on EU CAP transitional rules to allow a GLAS extension.

These transitional rules will apply for one to two years, depending on when the new CAP is finalised.

“There must be no gaps in payments. Gaps occurred in the past and these had a detrimental impact on farm incomes,” he stressed.

REPS

On the proposed REPS scheme, he said the payment must be €10,000 per year. It is proposed to fund the scheme from the carbon tax with up to €1.5bn being made available up to 2030.

However, it is unclear how much funds will be available next year when the scheme is due to start.

“The current GLAS scheme is worth about €1.45bn in the current seven-year Rural Development Plan. The new government needs to be clear that the €1.5bn from the carbon tax is ‘new money’ and will be in addition to the existing funding for GLAS and other schemes,” Biggins said.

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