Payment for the “new REPS” scheme is likely to be up to €6,900 per farmer, the Irish Farmers Journal understands.

Discussions are continuing between the Department of Agriculture and the European Commission on farmer numbers for the two-year pilot but an average farmer payment of €4,500/year is planned by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.

The average payment under GLAS is €4,200. A maximum payment of €6,900 over the lifetime of the pilot is envisaged.

Measures are expected to be similar to GLAS, including low-input pasture, hedgerow planting and maintenance.

The pilot will have a total budget of more than €20m, documents circulated among a rural development steering group this week suggest.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the maximum area for payment will be 10ha, with the minister keen to see smaller farmers benefit as much as larger farmers.

The long awaited two-year pilot, expected to be called the Results-based Environmental Agriculture Pilot (REAP), will open for applications in May.