For many farmers who do not meet the criteria for Tier one or two of GLAS may take up the option of Wild Bird Cover to gain access to the course.
Here are some frequently asked questions in relation to Wild Brid Cover and GLAS:
Q. If a farmer picks wild bird cover in GLAS will he loose the disadvantage area payment on this area?
A. Your client will lose his Disadvantaged Area Payment if he chooses WBC. The current payment for Wild Bird Cover is €900/ha capped at
The the Disadvantage Area scheme currently provides for payment as follows:
Mountain type land
Standard Rate of €109.71 on first 10 hectares or part thereof and €95.99 per hectare on remaining hectares subject to an overall payment ceiling of 34 hectares;
More Severely Handicapped (lowland)
Standard Rate of €95.99 per hectare on up to 34 hectares;
Less Severely Handicapped (lowland) and Areas with Specific Handicaps (Coastal Areas)
Standard Rate of €82.27 per hectare on up to 34 hectares;
Q. Due to my current farming system and stocking rate (134kgs N/HA) I reckon I am a tier 3 category however I am thinking of undertaking the low emission or wild bird cover option which would class me as a tier 2 category.
Will this give me a better chance of acceptance into the scheme and will receipts have to be submitted each year to Wexford for proof of slurry spreading as in the AEOS scheme?
A. If you choose these actions, you will be Tier 2. For Low-emission Slurry Spreading, you will be required to sign a declaration each year stating that all slurry is spread with a trailing shoe and the quantity in m3 that was spread.
Q. I see you cannot do the Wild Bird Cover action and plant hedgerows on the same parcel. Is that correct? Is that the same where a farmer is fencing watercourses? You must fence all watercourses on the farm and the farmer is completing this action and the WBC action and there are some of the watercourses on a parcel where WBC will be planted. How does he deal with the watercourses?
A. The only actions that may be carried out with wild bird cover on a whole parcel are, bat, bird and bee boxes, bee sand, low emission slurry spreading and rare breeds. If a water course needs to be fenced on a particular parcel, wild bird cover cannot be carried out on the parcel.
Q. Does wild bird cover need to be fenced where there is no livestock on the farm?
A. Yes.
In relation to Wild Bird Cover, the maximum area for payment is 3ha. So is the maximum plot area 3ha?
The plot can be bigger and if this is the case, the applicant has two options;
1. Deliver a part parcel action of 3ha and fence off that area
OR
2. Deliver a whole of parcel action, but they will only be paid for a maximum or 3ha.