Change to 12 month grazing rule in DAS could slash funding

A PROPOSED change in the stocking rate requirements for 2014 could further slash funding for hundreds of Connemara farmers who operate a summer grazing cattle system, according to Fianna Fáil Agriculture Spokesman Éamon Ó Cuív.

The West Galway TD, told the Farming Tribune that he had learned over the past week the stocking rate requirement would be extended from seven to 12 months for disadvantaged areas payments (DAS).

“This would immediately rule out a large segment of Connemara farmers from DAS payments – those people who buy in cattle in Spring and sell them off at the backend. They are running what are very sensible farming enterprises,” said Deputy Ó Cuív.

He said that these farmers stocked and grazed their farms in tandem with the natural grass cycle of the year and it would be completely unfair to penalise them for not holding cattle over the mid-winter months.

The Dept. of Agriculture Press Office could not be contacted for confirmation or otherwise of the proposed changes in the stocking rate requirement – Deputy Ó Cuív told the Farming Tribune that his information on the proposed change was ‘reliable’.

“Straight away this will mean that farmers who don’t have cattle on their lands during the month of January, will lose out on their DAS payments.

“Again this is evidence of just another attack on the most marginalised of farmers in the country. The DAS and REPS/AEOS schemes are absolutely critical to the survival of farming in the West of Ireland,” said Deputy Ó Cuív.

He said that since 2010, the REPS/AEOS payout to farmers had decreased from the figure of €337m for that year. In 2011, it dropped to €277m; €253m in 2012; €200m in 2013 and for 2014 this would drop down to €184m.

“What is absolutely inexcusable is the failure of Minister Coveney, to put in place an interim environmental scheme for 2014, pending the introduction of the new one in 2015.

“Those exiting from REPS 4 at the end of this year could, with a minimum of administrative paperwork, have been either switched into the AEOS scheme or ‘rolled over’ for another year in REPS, but there was no political will to do that,” said Minister Ó Cuív.

This week, Fine Gael North-West MEP, Jim Higgins, said that the EU had confirmed that this bridging year – 2014 – could be funded from the 2014-2020 financial envelope.

“This confirmation is hugely important – we may have exhausted our 2007 allocation but we have yet to touch our 2014 money.  Financially there’s no need to have a REPS gap year, what’s lacking is the will. 

 “REPS 4 is due to end this year, with no provision in place for the continuation of the scheme – this is a disastrous blow for the 13,000 Irish farmers who will be left in financial limbo for 2014.”

 “REPS is hugely important for family farm incomes. I’m calling for a REPS 4 rollover year, to allow for a seamless transition into the 2015 scheme,” said MEP Higgins.