The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is calling for another derogation on the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition on protection of peatlands and wetlands (GAEC 2).

IFA Rural Development Committee chair John Curran has urged Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon to seek a further delay in the implementation of GAEC 2 from the European Commission.

“It’s just not good enough at this stage for farmers to be left in limbo, or be given the opportunity to appeal parcels falling within GAEC 2,” he said.

The IFA said noted that there was a delay in the application of GAEC 2 in Ireland for 2023 and 2024.

"The minister should pull together a meeting with the EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen and give him a chance to deliver on his simplification promises,” Curran said.

“There is a lot of fear and real concern out there among farm families operating on peat soils and where the future lies for both current and future generations.

“The other reality is that the government is saying they want to work with farmers on implementing the Nature Restoration Law.

"The way GAEC 2 is being implemented is causing confusion and frustration amongst farmers and it is not conducive to building goodwill,” he added.

IFA Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) Project Team chair Frank Brady said there is no doubt but that GAEC 2 is problematic for Irish farmers given the amount of productive peat soil we have.

“The option of removing it or deferring it at EU level would be the best outcome, but ultimately, preserving agricultural activity is paramount.

“The real fear here is that the GAEC 2 measures proposed for this year are the thin end of the wedge.

"The only way we can address the protection of peatlands and wetlands is to change GAEC 2 itself, remove/defer it from conditionality and apply an incentivised approach, rather than squabbling over the details of how it will be implemented,” Brady said