The extension was announced by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney at a press briefing following Tuesday’s budget statements.Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin had previously said that the Department of Agriculture would be allocated €1.3bn under Budget 2016 with a view to cover a new agri-environmental scheme and capital investment schemes under the Rural Development Programme (RDP).
The extension was announced by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney at a press briefing following Tuesday’s budget statements.
Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin had previously said that the Department of Agriculture would be allocated €1.3bn under Budget 2016 with a view to cover a new agri-environmental scheme and capital investment schemes under the Rural Development Programme (RDP).
Details unveiled at the briefing show that the Government will spend €494m on RDP schemes in 2016 – a 12.5% increase compared with 2015.
Some €203m will also be allocated to past and present agri-environmental schemes, including GLAS.
“This scheme, when fully operational, will support up to 50,000 farmers and require funding of €250m per annum in future years, delivering on our commitment to the sustainable intensification of production and making a vital contribution to the rural economy,” Minister Coveney said in budget documents.
The figures released by the minister amount to an average of €5,000 in annual GLAS payments for each participating farmer, which is the maximum allowed.
Reacting to the announcement, IFA president Eddie Downey said in a statement that the increase in funding for agriculture for next year to €1.3bn will ensure that farmers entering new schemes under the RDP will finally get much-needed payments after years of cuts. However, he said farmers will be insisting that the minister accepts more of the projected 50,000 applicants into GLAS this year so that full payments can be made in 2016.
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