The Results based Environment Agri Pilot Project (REAP) closes today (Monday, May 10) – and is already oversubscribed, with current figures suggesting the number of applications to be at least double the number of places.
Commenting on this, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Rural Development Committee chairman Michael Biggins said:
“While we know it’s a pilot project to run along with the existing schemes for 2021 and 2022, the budget of €10 million per annum is totally inadequate to cater for the demand.
“Of €79 million allocated to agri-environment and other farm support measures in Budget 2021, €56 million was EU funding and €23 million from the carbon tax,” he noted.
“This €23 million is a long way short of what should be allocated in 2021 if the government is to live up to its commitment to allocate €1.5 billion from carbon tax to fund a REPS-2 type programme.
“A commitment was also given that this is to be in addition to CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] Pillar II funding.”
Continuing, the chairman said: “The high level of application from farmers is no surprise given the number who exited AEOS [Agri-environmental Options Scheme], and new entrants who had no environment scheme open to them.
“This shows that there is demand for environmental schemes among farmers,” he said.
“We are calling on the Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue to increase the budget to meet the demand, ensuring all farmers who wish to participate in REAP are given the opportunity to do so,” Biggins concluded.
Launched on Wednesday, April 21, according to the Department of Agriculture, REAP will provide an opportunity to test the results based model on a national basis in preparation for the next agri-environment scheme to follow on from GLAS.
Further details on how farmers will be paid through the scheme has been revealed by Agriland here.