This article is from page 38 of the 2007-08-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 38 JPG
DAYS after the announcement of the new REPS 4 package, the Min- ister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan TD, has come under fire from the ICSA farming organisation because of alleged shortcomings in the scheme.
ICSA President, Malcolm Thomp- son, attacked the REPS 4 package on Friday, saying that it does not pro- vide anywhere near enough money for farmers whose lands have been designated as environmentally sensi- tive.
“There are many extra costs and inconveniences associated with hav- ing your land designated as an SAC /
SPA,” he said.
“Although the overall REPS 4 pack- age, which provides for a 17 per cent across the board increase, is attrac- tive to farmers in general, farmers such as those in the Shannon Callows or commonage areas have gotten no special recognition.
“The REPS 4 payment structure is Set out in a way whereby in real- ity, the compensation per hectare is at maximum €77 extra and on the higher acreages is less than what is available under the basic REPS package.”
Earlier in the week Minister Cough- lan launched the €3 billion Rural Environment Protection Scheme to protect the rural landscape, increase
biodiversity and improve water qual- ity.
The new scheme was approved at the EU’s Rural Development Com- mittee on July 24 as part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme af- ter long, detailed and challenging negotiation with the European Com- mission.
‘For generations, farmers and farm families have been the keepers of Ireland’s rural landscape and rural environment,” she said.
‘Modern farmers are very con- scious of their responsibility for this heritage and they want to maintain it and pass it on to future generations. REPS helps them to do is. While the payments are made directly to farm-
ers, the benefits are for society as a whole.”
The scheme is co-funded by the EU and the Irish taxpayer and Minister Coughlan highlighted the record level of funding – some €3 billion – provided for REPS over the seven years 2007-2013.
“IT am particularly pleased that the European Commission was able to accept my proposals for a mixed grazing measure which will benefit sheep farmers.
‘IT had also been anxious to extend REPS to the more intensive farming sectors, including dairying, and I am very happy that this will now be pos- sible under REPS 4,” the Minister said.