April 23, 2021 11:40 am
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has said that the new Results-Based Environmental Agri Pilot Project (REAP) should not be used as the template for a new agri-environment scheme after 2023.
REAP is a pilot project which the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine envisages as a ‘trial run’ before a new and more expansive scheme – a replacement of the Green, Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) – is set up when the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) comes into effect in 2023.
However, the reaction to REAP by farm organisation has been mixed so far, with the categories of farmers being included – and excluded – coming in for criticism.
Reminder: Deadline tomorrow to opt into GLAS and OFS extensions
Farmer participants in the Green, Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) and the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) have until tomorrow to opt into the offer of extending their contracts under these schemes.
Taking to social media to remind farmers of the deadline, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said there has been a “very positive response” so far to the offer to extend contracts.
As of the latest figures, 96% of participants in GLAS who were asked (via text) if they wanted to extend their contracts have so far responded, with 98% of that number opting to extend their contracts for another year.
December 17, 2020 11:34 am
The Council of the EU, which brings together the government ministers from each member state, has formally adopted a budget – the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) – for 2021 to 2027.
The €1.07 trillion budget will be bolstered by the ‘Next Generation EU’ recovery instrument, which adds €750 billion to the monies to be allocated over the coming years.
It brings to €1.8 trillion the funding that will be provided over the lifetime of the MFF, which is partially aimed at economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
As part of the MFF (not including Next Generation EU), Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding will €336.4 billion (in 2018 constant prices). This will be divided up between the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF – Pillar I programmes) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD – Pillar II programmes).