New REAP agri scheme excludes commonage and land with heather

OFFICERS from the Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) say they are 'stunned' by proposals in the new Results-based Environmental-Agri pilot project (REAP) to exclude commonages and land containing heather from the scheme.

Speaking after a presentation by the Department of Agriculture to the farm organisation, INHFA president Colm O’Donnell outlined his dismay on the exclusion of these lands, which are, he stated, 'predominately peat based and prime habitats for a wide range of fauna such as the endangered red grouse which is an annex 1 red listed bird'.

It is, he continued, 'shocking that an agri-environmental programme supported by the Irish State and the European Union ignores the most valuable lands in the country with a high percentage of these lands forming part of the Natura 2000 network'.

In making the call to exclude these lands, he continued, 'it increase our suspicion that the habitats and biodiversity is of secondary importance to the carbon asset that many believe and hope these lands can deliver'.

“Similar to what is happening in the CAP negotiations under GAEC 2 where prescribed actions could make peat soils ineligible, this pilot has also identified large areas of peat soils for exclusion.”

As this is a pilot it will be instrumental in forming the basis for the next agri-environmental scheme in the new CAP.

On this, Mr. O'Donnell questioned if commonage and hill land where heather dominates will even get access to any such scheme.

In relation to the proposed budget of €10 million, O’Donnell said all farmers will be disappointed with the level of support which is well short of the €1.5bn in the State's carbon fund that was initially suggested or the more modest €79m outlined in last autumn’s budget.