Farmers with GLAS actions on leased land are at the greatest risk of losing a portion of their payment next year.

GLAS contracts to 36,000 farmers are due to expire on 31 December 2020. The Department of Agriculture has secured a budgetary allocation to fund these contracts for a further year and is awaiting approval from the European Commission.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that approximately 16% of GLAS actions are on leased land.

The majority of these farmers have leases beyond the end of the year and others will be able to extend them. The risk of payment loss is for those who will not have access to the land.

IFA rural development chair Michael Biggins said that farmers had to be afforded the opportunity to transfer these actions to other land parcels.

There will have to be an element of adjustment to many plans to both satisfy compliance and regulatory requirements

The Department has indicated that the contract extensions will be voluntary and they will remain unchanged. The extension process could be as simple as a text message to farmers requiring a yes or no response.

However, many plans will require a level of amendment, Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) president Tom Canning warned.

“There will have to be an element of adjustment to many plans to both satisfy compliance and regulatory requirements but it is as important to meet the changes on GLAS farms,” he said.

This would ensure that as many farmers as possible remain within GLAS in the interests of environmental enhancement and protection.

It is understood that the Department is seeking approval for a maintenance payment

The most common issues identified by advisers include farmers who wish to change their wild bird cover location, those set to lose leased land, and those concerned they will have to fence additional watercourses to remain eligible.

It is understood that the Department is seeking approval for a maintenance payment to those who have undertaken capital actions like watercourse fencing.

Continuation

The Commission is currently considering the necessary amendment to provide for the continuation of schemes including GLAS, BDGP and the Organic Farming Scheme in 2021.

The amendment process is anticipated to be completed before the end of the year, the Department said.

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