A new climate-driven programme for farmers is to be rolled out by the end of 2020, the Irish Farmers Journal can reveal.

Bord Bia documents show it is planning a major shake-up of its quality assurance schemes.

The new “farm sustainability programme”, will see farmers receiving credits for completing measures to make their farms more sustainable.

The programme will be voluntary and, to encourage take-up, farmer credits will be used to access “industry benefits”.

Any decision on a bonus payment will come from industry, and cannot be influenced by Bord Bia

However, when asked if it those benefits would take the form of a bonus on the price per kilo of meat or litre of milk, Bord Bia said it was “too early to speculate”.

“Any decision on a bonus payment will come from industry, and cannot be influenced by Bord Bia,” a spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Bord Bia is consulting with Teagasc, the Department of Agriculture, ICBF, AHI, and co-ops and meat factories about the programme.

Its CEO Tara McCarthy has repeatedly emphasised the need for Origin Green to be underpinned by evidence. This new scheme is seen as a way for Irish agriculture to prove its environmental and sustainability claims using one central database.

Farmers face sweeping changes under sustainability scheme

Bord Bia moves on quality assurance remote audits

New Bord Bia climate credit scheme for farmers

Bord Bia is planning to roll-out a new farm sustainability programme by the end of 2020 to draw together all ongoing work on environment and climate issues in agriculture.