The continued disconnect between policy and the government’s stated ambitions for Irish farming in terms of schemes has been highlighted again in recent days, according to Macra na Feirme.
The farm association said not allowing farmers who utilise Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) grant support to install solar panels to sell excess electricity into the grid, is “also at odds with the Micro-generation Support Scheme ambitions”.
“Government policy is at complete odds with the constant talk from the government and ministers about supporting diversification in Irish farming away from the conventional farming systems,” Macra na Feirme president, John Keane said.
Schemes
Macra said that Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan went into great depth about encouraging Irish farmers’ contribution to environmental improvement.
“Yet, we again see the rhetoric from the government is not matched by the reality of policy and regulations,” Keane added.
According to Macra, earlier this week the Food Vision Dairy Group was informed that Irish farmers who plant trees on their soils will not be allowed to offset this carbon sequestration against their emissions.
The farm association claims that the reduction in energy usage as a result of installing solar panels will do nothing to offset on-farm emissions in the inventory.
“What it essentially means is that farmers have no opportunity to reduce the impact by diversification. This is a stick that the government seems hell-bent on beating them with,” added Keane.
Macra na Feirme has called for a revision of the policy and regulation around renewable energy creation, tree planting and other on-farm initiatives that reduce the carbon footprint of a farm enterprise.
The association said that such a revision is needed so that Irish family farms can reap the rewards for their efforts, “otherwise what is the benefit to farmers”?