Environment scheme 'won't cover the costs'
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Wednesday March 10 2010
AN ICSA delegation has met with Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith to lobby for a more meaningful and relevant agri environment scheme that will help deliver better value to farmers in return for work they have done to enhance water quality, combat climate change and maintain biodiversity.
ICSA president Gabriel Gilmartin said "the scheme as it currently stands does not offer sufficient incentives for farmers to participate."
"The €75/ha rate for areas of special conservation pales in comparison with the previous rate of €242/ha that was available under REPS. Payments for other works are very small and seem to be out of touch with the actual costs involved. For example, a payment to maintain a dry stone wall has been set at €50 per 100 metres and is not realistic when compared with the actual cost of employing someone to carry out the works," he said.
"We are also very disappointed that planners with environmental qualifications will be needed for farmers on designated areas despite the fact that it had been indicated that the costs of planners would have been eliminated from the new scheme. There is no way that farmers could sustain planner costs for a scheme that wasn't delivering the bacon," he stated.
