Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association president Vincent Roddy has told the Irish Farmers Journal that while farm organisations never get everything they demand from the CAP, the INHFA is relatively happy with the Pillar I CAP supports announced on Wednesday.

“The principle of front-loading, while not as radical as we want, we’re quite happy that it has been applied.

“On 85% convergence, we would have felt 100% was the way to go, but there’s always going to have to be a compromise,” he said.

Agri-environment scheme

On the agri-environment scheme, which is to target 50,000 farmers, Roddy said the INHFA will be looking for all farmers on designated land who wish to take part in it to be accepted into the scheme, with a flat rate payment “well above what was paid in GLAS”.

However, he highlighted that 50,000 farmers is roughly what was in GLAS and if hill and farmers on heavy lowland soils struggle to get into the scheme, it would be a “missed opportunity”.