Farmers negatively impacted by land designations imposed through nature directives need additional funding under the new CAP programme, according to the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).
The designations which “are covered under SACs (special areas of conservation) and SPAs (special protected areas)” have “increased costs for the estimated 35,000 farmers since they were first introduced in the mid-1990s…with no real intent by the state to address this injustice,” INHFA president Pheilim Molloy said.
As we move into developing the new CAP programme, the farm leader stressed that “it is vital that this injustice is finally addressed and Article 9 of the draft CAP regulation allows for this”.
This article "provides support for disadvantages resulting from certain mandatory requirements and allows member states to provide area-based support in agriculture for disadvantages", according to the INHFA president.
For farmers with designated lands there is “a clear route to now cover any costs they may have incurred such as planning permission for fencing or other costs as a result of complying with any of the 38 activities requiring consent (ARCs) while also covering any loss of income as a result of complying with the designation", he said.
“This is different to previous payments made in-lieu of designations under schemes such as REPS or AEOS. Here payments were made not on the baseline costs but were based on the completion of actions that were deemed to improve the habitat thus supporting the designation," he said.
Concluding, the INHFA leader stated how “the Minister and Government should no longer ignore the legitimate case farmers on designated lands have for a payment in recognition of the enormous burden imposed on them and this needs to be in the CAP programme to address it".
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