There will be an 8.8% increase in Department of Agriculture spending next year. Some €142m is set aside for GLAS, with 13,000 places to open next week. The extension was announced by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney at a press briefing following Tuesday’s budget statements.
The GLAS scheme is to provide 13,000 places from next week
Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin had previously said that the Department of Agriculture would be allocated €1.3bn under Budget 2016 with a view to cover a new agri-environmental scheme and capital investment schemes under the Rural Development Programme (RDP).
Details unveiled at the briefing show that the Government will spend €494m on RDP schemes in 2016 – a 12.5% increase compared with 2015.
Some €203m will also be allocated to past and present agri-environmental schemes, including GLAS.
“This scheme, when fully operational, will support up to 50,000 farmers and require funding of €250m per annum in future years, delivering on our commitment to the sustainable intensification of production and making a vital contribution to the rural economy,” Minister Coveney said in budget documents.
The figures released by the minister amount to an average of €5,000 in annual GLAS payments for each participating farmer, which is the maximum allowed.
Reacting to the announcement, IFA president Eddie Downey said in a statement that the increase in funding for agriculture for next year to €1.3bn will ensure that farmers entering new schemes under the RDP will finally get much-needed payments after years of cuts. However, he said farmers will be insisting that the minister accepts more of the projected 50,000 applicants into GLAS this year so that full payments can be made in 2016.
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Patrick Donohoe – 13/10/2015)
The decision to include sheep fencing stems from the IFA’s call for stronger supports in the sheep sector
Sheep Fencing Included In TAMS II Budget Allocation
Part of the €35.8m that has been allocated for TAMS II in Budget 2016 will go towards sheep fencing, according the Department of Agriculture. The €35.8m allocation will provide funding for:
- The Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme which will be at the higher grant rate of 60%
- Dairy equipment
- Organic capital investments
- Pig and poultry
- Sheep fencingIt will also provide funding for the recently opened Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme and the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS).
The decision to include sheep fencing stems from the IFA’s call for stronger supports in the sheep sector at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture on Tuesday 6 October. The IFA’s proposal was met with positivity from the committee who agreed that it’s a “no-brainer”. IFA president Eddie Downey stressed the need for strong TAMS II funding for sheep investments to include sheep fencing.
In relation to the TAMS II funding, Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, said he believes that TAMS will encourage the sustainable development of farms.
“The funding of these very important schemes will encourage the sustainable development of Irish agriculture by providing a range of new investment opportunities to Irish farmers,” he said.
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Odile Evans – 14/10/2015)