The Department of Agriculture has this week informed thousands of farmers that their applications to the second tranche of the GLAS scheme have not been successful.
Last month, the Minster for Agriculture, Simon Coveney confirmed that only 11,500 farmers of the 14,000 that applied will be approved into GLAS 2.
The move means nearly 20% of the applicants who applied to GLAS 2 prior to Christmas will not be accepted.
The acceptance of 11,500 into the scheme will bring the total number of farmers in the Scheme to some 38,000 – a record number of entrants to an agri-environment scheme in a single year.
The Department of Agriculture has said that unprecedented level of applications to the Scheme has meant that for GLAS 2, priority is being given by the Department to what are called Tier 1 and Tier 2 candidates.
The decision by the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney to only accept 11,500 farmers into the second tranche of the GLAS scheme has come in for heavy criticism.
IFA Rural Development Chairman Flor McCarthy has also criticised the Ministers decision and accused him of backtracking on a commitment that he made at Budget time that at least 13,000 farmers would be allowed into the scheme.
McCarthy said that with 11,500 farmers being accepted under Tier 1 and Tier 2, the exclusion of 2,500 farmers who are Tier 3 farmers is a major problem as many of these farmers are on low incomes.
The agri-environment GLAS payment would be a significant part of the overall farm income and Minister Coveney’s decision to exclude them is totally unacceptable, he said.
GLAS – Tranche 3
Meanwhile, farmers who were not accepted into the second tranche of the GLAS scheme have been urged to re-examine their plans, by the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney.
According to Minister Coveney, a third tranche of GLAS will open later this year and any applicant who was unsuccessful this time round has the opportunity now to re-examine their proposed farm-plan in consultation with their advisor and see how it might be improved to increase their chance of selection under GLAS 3.
Tier 1 and 2 candidates include those who either manage key environmental assets like endangered birds, protected habitats or high-quality water courses, or who have committed to undertake particularly valuable environmental actions like growing feed-crops for wild birds, adopting low-impact tillage techniques or using low-emission slurry spreading methods.