GLAS: a ‘hit’ with farmers in the West

THE economic importance of the new GLAS environmental scheme to the rural economy of the West of Ireland has been highlighted in figures given to Fine Gael, Galway West TD, Sean Kyne from Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney.

The figures indicate that out of a total 27,000 GLAS applications nationally, Galway tops the league of applicants with 3,250 farmers successfully applying to get into the scheme.

Not far behind, comes Mayo on 2,681 successful GLAS applicants with a further 1,585 in Roscommon, 1,684 in Clare, 1067 in Leitrim, 978 in Sligo and 2,043 in Donegal.

If all of the applying Galway farmers succeeded in getting the maximum pay-out of €5,000, GLAS would bring in €1.625 million to the county each year.

And even if ‘the payment average’ dipped down to €4,000, the net gain for the farmers involved would still be €1.3 million.

Between them, the four ‘western’ counties of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Clare have a total of 9,200 GLAS participants giving a maximum potential pay-out of €4.6 million, dipping down to €3.7 million if the payments averaged out at €4,000 per head.

Deputy Kyne said that the figures showed the crucial importance of the GLAS scheme to the rural economy of the West of Ireland, money that would spread its way through the entire region.

“We have always felt that environmental schemes were especially apt and beneficial for the West of Ireland and the uptake of GLAS across the Western Seaboard proves this.

“This is an absolutely vital financial vital lifeline for thousands of farmers across the western region and I’m delighted to see such a high participation rate,” said Deputy Kyne.

In his Dáil question, tabled earlier this month, Deputy Kyne also asked how commonage plans in relation to GLAS applicants were progressing.

Minister Coveney in his reply said that he was pleased to say that GLAS Commonage Advisers had already [October 7] been appointed to 1,800 commonages, with appointments to the remainder ‘to be made very shortly’.

“Where Commonage Advisers have been appointed, preparation of commonage management plans can commence and I am aware that fieldwork has already been carried out in many cases.

“In addition, some 200 applications were in respect of commonages under 10 hectares in area, and these do not require the appointment of a single Commonage Adviser – in all such cases, applicants are free to draw up individual plans with their own adviser,” said Minister Coveney.