The grants for some biodiversity schemes are too modest and “substantial supports” are needed to pay farmers in these schemes, An Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said.

“My own personal view for a long time is that the level of supports in some of these schemes, there’s quite a number of farmers involved in biodiversity schemes, the grants are quite modest to put it mildly.

“There should be far [more] substantial supports not just to incentivise but to sustain, [to make it] worth your while,” he said at the Irish Farmers Journal stand on Thursday at the National Ploughing Championships.

Martin pointed out that the EU’s long-term budget, the multiannual financial framework, will have to increase and that Ireland holding the EU presidency the year before leading into the negotiations will give the country a better opportunity to shape the debate.

Pony up funding

“The CAP percentage of that framework is declining, even though nationally we matched it with 50%. I see that as a big challenge to get the overall financial package up.

“To separate out food production from the climate change agenda, if that’s what Europe wants, then Europe is going to have to pony up more funding to make it worthwhile and have a genuine incentivisation.

“I’m not just saying it because people might want me to say it. No sector has had to account more for climate than farming,” he said.

He added that this is not “wildly understood” by general consumers.

“The financial supports need to make it worthwhile and be better than the levels we’ve seen so far,” he said.

Derogation

An Tánasite said that there has to be a more sustainable timeline for Ireland’s nitrates derogation and that two-year renewal periods are not sustainable for farmers.

“We can’t be doing it every two years. It’s unsustainable, you can’t plan accordingly.

“The directive is key, it’s essential for the continuation of dairy farming. There’s consequences all around [if it’s lost].

“That’s why the huge national effort is being made to retain the [derogation], it has to be a national effort. Everybody has to be involved.”

He said it was a myth that Government did not put enough emphasis on trying to keep the derogation at 250kg N/ha.

He said the derogation is “a key fundamental issue that will determine the next decade” of farming.