Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 February 2022
334. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address concerns that eligible areas within the new agri-environmental climate measure are predominantly in counties outside the midlands including counties Laois and Offaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8947/22]
View answerIreland's draft CAP Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027, which lists the range of interventions currently being proposed, was submitted to the EU Commission on 31 December 2021. One of the intervention proposed therein is an agri-environment climate measure (AECM). €1.5 billion has been allocated to this flagship agri-environment scheme which will be the successor to the Green Low Carbon Agri-environment Scheme (GLAS) which was available under Ireland’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
It is proposed that, similar to GLAS, all farmers throughout the country will have the possibility of applying to the new AECM Scheme. There are two approaches proposed in the new AECM:
- AECM General, available nationally (outside of the high priority geographical area as defined for the AECM Co-operation Project approach below), which offers a range of measures (both targeted and general); and
- AECM Co-operation Project, available to farmers in defined high priority geographical areas. Eight areas in the country have been defined as having particular environmental characteristics and farmers in those areas may engage in the new AECM through the cooperation project teams. These eight areas comprise of land dominated by semi-natural vegetation (both privately owned and in commonage), Natura 2000 lands and in which priority water catchments, etc are located. These areas are of high nature value, hold significant carbon stores and are home to some of the most pristine waters in the country. Further refinement was undertaken on the basis of certain nature and water priorities.
My Department is currently developing the scheme with further details to be made available as soon as possible. It should also be noted that the proposed scheme, along with the other proposals in Ireland’s draft CAP Strategic Plan, still has to be approved by the EU Commission so may be subject to change. As the new CAP is due to commence on 1 January 2023, as much information as possible will be made available, on a provisional basis, in the meantime to inform farmers of the proposed approaches.
