Galway farmers angry at ‘sneaky’ deferral of GLAS

AGRICULTURE Minister, Simon Coveney, has been accused by farmers of ‘a sneaky move’ to save money for the Government with his proposal not to start the new GLAS environmental scheme until September, 2015.

With the new CAP starting off from January 1, 2015, farm leaders had pressed for this date also as the start-up for GLAS, a scheme that carries a maximum standard payment of €5,000 per annum.

IFA National President, Eddie Downey said that such a September start-up date for GLAS would end up taking over €3,300 out of farmers’ pockets next year and was totally unacceptable.

“Paying a part-payment from September, as Minister Coveney suggests, will mean that those farmers who qualify will only get a maximum payment of €1,666 for 2015. This compares to the full year payment of €5,000 which the Minister promised when the plan was sent to Brussels earlier this month,” said Eddie Downey.

He warned that such a move would lead to significant income pressures on thousands of farms throughout the country who will have finished their REPS agri-environment schemes.

“I am calling on the Minister to put all his efforts into ensuring the earliest start-up date for applications and payment.

Thousands of mainly livestock farmers are dependent on direct supports, which underpin low farm income and supports agricultural production which impacts on the rural economy,” said the IFA President.

Co. Galway IFA Chairman, Pat Murphy, told the Farming Tribune that the news coming from Simon Coveney was ‘devastating’, especially for small West of Ireland livestock farmers.

“There is just something very sneaky about the way this is being done. It just seems to be a stealthy way to save money for the Government – there is absolutely no reason why this scheme cannot be up and running by January 1, 2015,” said Pat Murphy.

He said that the clear understand all along between the IFA and Minister Coveney was that GLAS would kick-in from the beginning of 2015.

“This is a calculated to save money at the expense of the most vulnerable section of the farming community,” said Pat Murphy.

IFA National Rural Development Chairman Flor McCarthy said that the priority for the Minister must be to ensure that in the forthcoming October 2015 Budget sufficient funds were available to fund GLAS from the start of the year.

“This payment has to be meaningful and not at the level as is being suggested by the Minister,” said Flor McCarthy.