The Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has again warned that “the burning of scrub during the summer months is not allowed.”
The Fine Gael TD, Paul Kehoe, had tabled a question to the minister in relation to whether farmers could burn off scrub land during the summer months if “the purpose of the burn is to reclaim the land”.
In response Minister McConalogue said that under section 40 of the Wildlife Act 1976 “growing vegetation cannot be be burnt between March 1 and August 31 of any given year”.
The minister added:
“Where land has been burned between March 1 and August 1 it is not in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation and therefore is not eligible for payment for the remainder of the year.”
Minister McConalogue also noted that under the new land eligibility rules for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS) and other CAP area-based schemes, up to 50% of the area of a parcel can contain benefical features like scrub, rock, trees, woodland, habitats with no loss of payments to the farmer.
BISS
The Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS) replaced the Basic Payment Ccheme (BPS) in the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The BISS is designed to provide a direct income support to Irish farmers to “underpin their continued sustainability and viability”.
The maximum payment that will be granted to any one farmer under the BISS, in any one scheme year is capped at a rate of €66,000. It has been stressed that no payment will be made under the BISS where the amount is less than €100.
The deadline for 2023 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) applications are just over a fortnight away, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has urged farmers to submit their applications as soon as possible.
The BISS deadline of midnight on Monday, May 29, is also the deadline for the related submission of applications for a range of other schemes including the Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers, the National Reserve and Transfers of Entitlements.