Macra na Feirme has called for an expansion of the co-operative measure of the new Agri-Environmental Climate Measure (AECM) with increased funding.

With only eight areas - predominantly in western counties - eligible for the co-operative measure of the scheme, Macra has called on the Department of Agriculture to allocate the resources that will allow more than 20,000 farmers enrol in the scheme.

“Given the size of the area of the country that is not covered by the co-operation project, Minister McConalogue needs to find further funding to expand both measures,” commented national president of Macra na Feirme John Keane.

“We are disappointed that future-focused young farmers outside of the eligible areas have not been facilitated by the co-operation portion of the scheme.

“Farmers in almost the entire midlands of the country and the east have no opportunity to join the scheme. Many young farmers have the ambition to meet the environmental targets,” he said.

Macra has cited counties Westmeath, Longford, Kildare and Kilkenny as examples of the areas that have been excluded from the co-operation agri-environmental scheme.

Questions around BRIDE project

The Macra president went on to question whether the Department will continue with funding for the Biodiversity Regeneration in Dairying Areas (BRIDE) project.

According to Keane, the maps released by the Department gave no indication that the EIP was being continued.

“The question is: why have these areas been left out of the scheme? From the map, we can’t even tell if the BRIDE Valley project area is covered by this scheme.

“[This is] a great project with demonstrated results over the past number of years which is also supported through an EIP,” he said.