Following the initial meeting in Donegal town on Monday, INHFA president Colm O'Donnell said the consultation would focus on ways to ensure a fairer distribution of payments in the new CAP after 2020, "unlike what happened in the last reform, which saw the top 2,000 recipients receive more than 52,000 of the lowest earning recipients".

O'Donnell also called for payments for habitats maintained by farmers in Natura 2000 designated areas and, more generally, for agri-environmental schemes that are "accessible to farmers, easy to apply and understand, unlike what we have in GLAS".

Other INHFA proposals to be discussed at the CAP consultation meetings include:

  • A farm retirement scheme to encourage generational renewal.
  • Capping, flattening or front-loading of basic and greening payments.
  • Coupled payments for vulnerable sectors such as suckler cows and hill sheep.

    • The meetings are open to existing and new INHFA members and will take place at 8pm as follows:

  • Friday 9 March: Bangor parish hall, Co Mayo.
  • Tuesday 13 March: Coolaney, Co Sligo.
  • Thursday 15 March: Newport Hotel, Newport, Co Mayo.
  • Thursday 15 March: Co Cavan/Co Leitrim meeting, venue to be confirmed.
  • Co Galway meetings: dates and venues to be confirmed.

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