Most of the 18,000 applications registered on the GLAS system up to last week will reach the maximum payment of €5,000 per annum, said Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney.
Of the 18,000 applications registered, specific actions have been selected in 10,590 cases. The breakdown for applications with associated actions indicated that some 44% at least will be Tier 1, some 24% Tier 2, and 32% Tier 3. However, these are subject to change, with the Minister predicting that many of the Tier 3 applicants will adopt actions which promote them into Tier 2.
Until applications are actually submitted, applicants have the opportunity to adopt particular actions which will improve their ranking.
No applications had been formally submitted up to last week, as the ‘submit’ facility had yet to be activated on the GLAS on-line system (in order to allow as much time as possible for applicants and advisers to familiarise themselves with the scheme before finalising their applications).
The closing date for receipt of applications is May 22, 2015.
The leading counties for GLAS applications so far were Mayo, with 2,143 (of which 1,241 have already added actions); Galway 1,948 (1,207), Donegal 1,642 (1,078), Cork 1,406 (823), Kerry 1,273 (849), Clare 1,166 (721), and Roscommon 995 (572).
Nationally, 2,924 of the 14,876 farmers with commonage have initiated GLAS applications, 1,945 of which already added actions.
The leading counties for initiated GLAS applications with commonage were Mayo, 727 (510 with actions); Donegal 568 (416), Kerry 417 (294) ; Galway 414 (276), and Cork 196 (106).
The statistics on GLAS were given by Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney in reply to a Dáil question from Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesman Éamon Ó Cuív, TD for Galway West.
(Source – Irish Examiner – Stephen Cadogan – 30/04/2015)