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There are concerns that the requirement for farmers to complete a nutrient management plan (NMP) under draft CAP reforms will increase application costs to the scheme.
As debates around CAP continue to intensify, Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) president Colm O’Donnell said the scheme replacing the BPS would bring added compliance issues. The new Basic Income Support Scheme (BISS) is set to have a greater focus on the environment and climate change.
O’Donnell said: “Currently farmers in GLAS are submitting a NMP, but the proposal to include it under the BISS will increase application costs to this scheme. This will also increase the difficulty in developing an accessible agri-environmental scheme for farmers who are currently in GLAS or who were previously in REPS.”
Inclusive
He emphasised the need for the next CAP to be more inclusive and deliver for all farmers, as in many cases CAP payments were their only certain income.
INHFA said concerns also surrounded proposals outlined by the European Commission with regard to peatlands and wetlands, which are described as “carbon-rich soils”. O’Donnell said this could create problems for farmers to comply with BISS requirements.
Capping
O’Donnell described the current proposal to limit direct payments under CAP to €60,000 as “pointless” because it allowed recipients deduct labour costs before a cap is applied.
As discussions continue on the proposed reforms, he said he had major misgivings about the proposed CAP. By allowing labour costs to be deducted, O’Donnell said “little or no money will be made available under this proposal, which is designed to help fund a front-loaded model”.
He said: “This and other redistribution models will have to be amended if we are to help and protect the most vulnerable farmers who will shoulder the highest burden in delivering on the environment and climate change.”
He added that a focus on the capping of payments and the money available in the budget could lead to a sidelining of other issues. These included; redistribution, the make-up of the new eco-scheme and increased conditionality for pillar one payments.
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