Farmers, mainly located in the west of Ireland, will be paid up to €10,000 for measures such as rewetting and scrub control in the next agri-environmental scheme, the Irish Farmers Journal can reveal.

A new map for the co-operation aspect of the scheme in the next CAP shows that large swathes of the western seaboard, and other pockets of land around the country, have been selected for such actions.

A total of 20,000 farmers are targeted under this part of the scheme and farmers in the areas outlined will have to work together to carry out measures.

Commonage land, designated Natura 2000 land and priority water catchments are among the land types included in the selected areas

The average payment in the scheme is expected to be around €7,000, with a maximum of €10,000 per annum for farmers who carry out the most environmentally ambitious actions.

Commonage land, designated Natura 2000 land and priority water catchments are among the land types included in the selected areas.

Project teams will be established across the country and will decide what actions are to be carried out.

Hybrid model

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said that payments under the scheme will operate under a “hybrid results-based” model and that all farmers will have the necessary support and training to take part.

A total of 50,000 farmers have been targeted in total for the scheme, which has €1.5bn in funding and will run from 2023 to at least 2027.

A total of 30,000 farmers are expected to take part in the general aspect of the scheme. This route offers a maximum payment rate of €7,000.