Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 December 2020
45. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the REPS mark 2 pilot scheme will open for applications; if farmers locked out of schemes since AEOS finished in 2018 will be given preference; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41626/20]
View answerI would like to take this opportunity to emphasise my commitment to the provision of agri-environment schemes which will continue to support farmers while driving environmental benefits. This commitment was demonstrated in the Budget 2021 when I secured funding for the rollover of existing schemes and through the additional budget allocation for 2021 of €79 million in new funding for a range of projects to include new agri-environment initiatives.
This funding includes provision for a results-based agri-environment pilot project designed to test the feasibility of the results-based approach for possible upscaling at a national level. The results-based approach provides the highest financial reward to farmers who manage their land in a manner that delivers the greatest environmental benefits. The project will have a significant focus on biodiversity and climate change. It has the aim of increasing the number of farmers undertaking agri-environment actions and will be directed at farmers not currently in GLAS. There is significant work ongoing to design this new scheme and I expect to be in a position to announce the details as soon as they are available. In advance of this, I am also planning a public consultation in the near future on the scheme to hear how farmers feel the pilot scheme should look.
There is growing recognition of the potential of the results-based approach in the delivery of agri-environment schemes. These include the identification of environmental and biodiversity returns from specific farm measures and a more focused use of funding. They also have the potential to raise awareness among farmers regarding farming methods with the greatest environmental and biodiversity potential. It is expected that this pilot project will inform the development of the next large scale agri-environment scheme under the CAP Strategic Plan to follow on from GLAS.
With regards to existing scheme participation, my Department is pressing for the earliest adoption of EU regulations to facilitate the operation of schemes in the period between the current CAP and the CAP Strategic Plan post-2020. The intention is to offer a one-year extension of existing schemes from the current RDP, including GLAS 1 and 2 and ensure that scheme participants have certainty on their scheme participation during the transitional phase.
