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Payment rates under the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme should reflect land that is disadvantaged due to multiple biophysical factors, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has said.
“The current methodology in setting the level of compensation based on standard output per hectare doesn't reflect fairly the severity of areas with multiple biophysical constraints,” said INHFA president Colm O’Donnell.
In a statement on Monday, O’Donnell said that the review must address an imbalance in the treatment of some farmers in receipt of compensatory payments in the ANC scheme.
“Our position is to retain the Mountain Grazing area as the priority 1 category with meaningful targeting that reflects the severity of the multiple constraints experienced in these areas,” he said.
The tiered structure of payments in the ANC scheme currently favours offshore islands and mountain grazing areas over severely and less severely handicapped areas.
The new payment structure will not be decided until after the Department of Agriculture consults farm organisations.
O’Donnell said that INHFA is currently consulting its members on the issue with a meeting planned in Westport on 7 December at the Knockranny House Hotel starting at 8pm.
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