The CAP transition period offers a unique opportunity to the Department of Agriculture to build new schemes that will foster more sustainable farming, according to the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).
This week, it welcomed the decision by the European Parliament’s agricultural committee to ratify the EU Commission's draft CAP transition regulation.
'Reward existing good practices'
In terms of a scheme, INHFA president Colm O’Donnell said that it could be “very easily done by rewarding existing good practices in extensive farming systems and incentivising the introduction of these practices on unsustainable intensive farming systems”.
He pointed out that the unfairness of the Greening Scheme must also be addressed during the transition period, where one farmer gets €48/ha for the retention of permanent grassland and another gets €210/ha for carrying out the same measure.
The 3,000 farmers currently locked out of the GLAS scheme must be catered for
The Department needs to transition all farmers towards the replacement for greening, which is the eco-scheme where financial support will be outside of the convergence process, he said.
“The 3,000 farmers currently locked out of the GLAS scheme must be catered for with an environmental scheme available to them during the transition period,” he added.
Flattening of payments
The transition regulation offers a degree of stability to farmers in that the legal framework is extended to ensure payments can be made during the limbo period between CAP programmes, the INHFA said.
O’Donnell said it offers several options and flexibilities to member states, including the provision for continuing with the internal convergence model.
"During the pre-election debates, political parties made clear promises to farmers of their support for continuing with convergence during the transition period," stated O’Donnell.
"Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, Sinn Féin and many rural independents backed the INHFA's call to address the unfairness if in government,” he said.
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The CAP transition period offers a unique opportunity to the Department of Agriculture to build new schemes that will foster more sustainable farming, according to the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).
This week, it welcomed the decision by the European Parliament’s agricultural committee to ratify the EU Commission's draft CAP transition regulation.
'Reward existing good practices'
In terms of a scheme, INHFA president Colm O’Donnell said that it could be “very easily done by rewarding existing good practices in extensive farming systems and incentivising the introduction of these practices on unsustainable intensive farming systems”.
He pointed out that the unfairness of the Greening Scheme must also be addressed during the transition period, where one farmer gets €48/ha for the retention of permanent grassland and another gets €210/ha for carrying out the same measure.
The 3,000 farmers currently locked out of the GLAS scheme must be catered for
The Department needs to transition all farmers towards the replacement for greening, which is the eco-scheme where financial support will be outside of the convergence process, he said.
“The 3,000 farmers currently locked out of the GLAS scheme must be catered for with an environmental scheme available to them during the transition period,” he added.
Flattening of payments
The transition regulation offers a degree of stability to farmers in that the legal framework is extended to ensure payments can be made during the limbo period between CAP programmes, the INHFA said.
O’Donnell said it offers several options and flexibilities to member states, including the provision for continuing with the internal convergence model.
"During the pre-election debates, political parties made clear promises to farmers of their support for continuing with convergence during the transition period," stated O’Donnell.
"Fianna Fáil, the Green Party, Sinn Féin and many rural independents backed the INHFA's call to address the unfairness if in government,” he said.
Read more
CAP extension ignores elephant in the room – ICSA
‘Might make sense’ to bring direct payments forward to July – Taoiseach
EU biodiversity plan to cut pesticide use by 50% by 2030
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