In its current form, the co-operative stream of the new Agri-Environment Climate Measure (AECM) will prevent many farmers from improving their environmental credentials, the Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has said.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue must now revise the AECM to allow more farmers to access the scheme, according to INHFA national president Vincent Roddy.

Under the current AECM plan, there will be “a large number of farmers unable to access support under this scheme as they seek to deliver improved environmental outcomes on their farms” said Roddy.

He claimed that since the Department of Agriculture published its list of the areas included in the co-operative measure of the AECM, he was “inundated with calls from farmers enquiring for details on whether their lands were in these areas or not”.

According to the INHFA, clarification was urgently needed on the areas that had been included in the maps.

“For some farmers, it is very clear whether they are in or not. However, there are many on the border of these areas where that detail is not apparent.”

Reassessing the budget

Roddy called on the Minister “to reassess the overall AECM budget, so they can accommodate and satisfactorily reward all farmers that want to deliver on improved environmental outcomes that will benefit all of Ireland's population”.

It remains “vital that those farmers who are willing to engage are supported appropriately. This is why we are calling on the Minister to go back to Cabinet to secure an improved budget,” he said.

Let farming continue

The scheme’s measures must also allow farmers to continue actively farming under the scheme, Roddy added.

The success of the scheme will depend on accommodating farmers, he said.

“Ultimately, farmers want to farm and the key to success here will be accommodating this, in addition to the environmental ambition,” he added.