The new REPS, the Agri-Environment Climate Measure (AECM), will be open for applications within weeks.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue confirmed that farmers can apply to join the new agri-environment programme and other CAP schemes over the summer.

“We plan to launch these over the next short period of time and to open them for applications,” Minister McConalogue told the INHFA AGM.

ADVERTISEMENT

Although Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan is unlikely to get the green light from Brussels until September, Minister McConalogue insisted that preparations for the AECM launch were pushing ahead and he aims to have farmers participating in the new CAP schemes from January 1 next year.

Budget

The AECM scheme will have a budget of €1.5bn over the lifetime of the next CAP (2023-27) or €300m/year. Fifty thousand farmers are expected to enrol in the scheme, with maximum payments ranging from €7,300 to €10,500 for farmers in high priority areas.