Farmers must be paid for protection of existing habitats on farms and not encouraged to rip out these habitats to maximise their single farm payments, Mairead McGuinness, Midlands-Northwest MEP, has said.
She told the Irish Farmers Journal that “currently, farmers are penalised for areas of their farm under ‘natural habitat’ such as rushes and scrub.
There are farmers leading in this area of enhancing nature of their farms and doing it without loss of income
“It is the policies of the past that have us where we are today. We encouraged farmers to maximise production, to clear and drain land in the past. Now, public policy is clearly towards managing and protecting public goods.
“There are farmers leading in this area of enhancing nature of their farms and doing it without loss of income. These champions, farmers for nature and others involved in specific pilot programmes, including conservation agriculturists point the way forward for all and do important work in bridging the unhelpful public conflict between environmentalist and farmers,” she said.
While the focus is on actions needed at farm level, it also focuses on the need for greener cities, towns and villages
In response to the European Commission’s biodiversity strategy, she said it is aimed at everyone, not just farmers. “While the focus is on actions needed at farm level, it also focuses on the need for greener cities, towns and villages so that people have access to the benefits of nature,” she said.
“I favour protection of what we have and restoration of habitats done in a positive way with the farming community and not imposed on farmers,” she added.
For that, we need advisory systems that address, in a holistic way, production and environment – not one or the other, she added.
Warning
Copa-Cogeca, the body representing European farming organisations, has warned that cereal output would fall by as much as 60% for some crops if the EU’s biodiversity strategy were imposed.
The draft strategy contains proposals to cut fertiliser use by 20% and cut pesticide use by 50% as revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal last week. The plan also aims to have 25% of the EU organic by 2030. The ICSA has said that a “far more ambitious” organic scheme needs to be introduced.
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Farmers must be paid for protection of existing habitats on farms and not encouraged to rip out these habitats to maximise their single farm payments, Mairead McGuinness, Midlands-Northwest MEP, has said.
She told the Irish Farmers Journal that “currently, farmers are penalised for areas of their farm under ‘natural habitat’ such as rushes and scrub.
There are farmers leading in this area of enhancing nature of their farms and doing it without loss of income
“It is the policies of the past that have us where we are today. We encouraged farmers to maximise production, to clear and drain land in the past. Now, public policy is clearly towards managing and protecting public goods.
“There are farmers leading in this area of enhancing nature of their farms and doing it without loss of income. These champions, farmers for nature and others involved in specific pilot programmes, including conservation agriculturists point the way forward for all and do important work in bridging the unhelpful public conflict between environmentalist and farmers,” she said.
While the focus is on actions needed at farm level, it also focuses on the need for greener cities, towns and villages
In response to the European Commission’s biodiversity strategy, she said it is aimed at everyone, not just farmers. “While the focus is on actions needed at farm level, it also focuses on the need for greener cities, towns and villages so that people have access to the benefits of nature,” she said.
“I favour protection of what we have and restoration of habitats done in a positive way with the farming community and not imposed on farmers,” she added.
For that, we need advisory systems that address, in a holistic way, production and environment – not one or the other, she added.
Warning
Copa-Cogeca, the body representing European farming organisations, has warned that cereal output would fall by as much as 60% for some crops if the EU’s biodiversity strategy were imposed.
The draft strategy contains proposals to cut fertiliser use by 20% and cut pesticide use by 50% as revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal last week. The plan also aims to have 25% of the EU organic by 2030. The ICSA has said that a “far more ambitious” organic scheme needs to be introduced.
Read more
Investigation after 23 buzzards found poisoned with banned insecticide
EU biodiversity plan could cut crop yield by up to 60% - warning
Exclusive: EU to cut fertiliser use by 20%, pesticides by 50%
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