A Cork south west TD is calling on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to retool its agri-environment pilot scheme, with the farm payment scheme in its initial proposed form.

The Programme for Government commits to rewarding farmers for adapting to more sustainable methods of farming and to the development of a new agri-environment scheme capable of delivering broad environmental and biodiversity benefits that will align financial supports with climate objectives.

To advance this government objective, funding has been made available for 2021 for a results-based agri-environment pilot project.

According to deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, the scheme’s base payments - an average of €4,700 on a farmer’s first 10ha and a maximum of €7,000 - are too low to entice farmers to participate in environmental and biodiversity protection initiatives.

“It needs to be higher. This results-based scheme has to be meaningful and worthwhile for farmers so they afford to participate,” deputy O’Sullivan said.

Deputy O’Sullivan called for a base payment of €10,000, with further payments based on environmental results in addition to this.

“Bottom line, we want farmers involved in biodiversity and environmental protection,” O’Sullivan said.

Deputy O’Sullivan also called for certainty over the future of the scheme, with its budget not yet confirmed and what he describes as "little indication" of the number of farmers who can participate.

He said the scheme must be open to all farmers not currently in the Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS).

“We have to make farming a viable source of income particularly in west Cork where farmland is very marginal,” the deputy said.

“We have to look at the bigger picture. A major upshot is money being targeted to farmers, which means it will be spent in the local shop, the local co-op. That means benefits for the local community.”