CAP Pillar 2 payments and schemes will change significantly from 2023

Farmers, together with their advisors, will decide what actions they may take to increase their score

Ciaran Moran Twitter Email

October 26 2021 02:30 AM

Many schemes and payments under Pillar 2 of the CAP will also change significantly from 2023, the Government announced this week.

AECM – (new GLAS)

A new flagship Agri-environment and climate measure (AECM) will replace the current GLAS scheme and will consist of two elements:

⬤ The first is the General option, available nationally.

This will consist of farm level actions including results-based measures. It will be open to farmers, together with their advisors to select actions from the general list of actions available.

Average payments will be in the region of €5,000 per annum with the potential to reach a maximum of €7,000. Expected uptake is estimated to be 30,000 farmers over a number of tranches.

⬤ The second is the Cooperation Project option, available to farmers in defined high-priority geographical areas. This will include results-based and landscape-level actions.

Farmers, together with their advisors, will decide what actions they may take to increase the score on their lands to increase their payment levels. Average payments will be in the region of €7,400 with the potential for a maximum of €10,000.

Expected uptake under the AECM Co-Operation is estimated to be 20,000 farmers over a number of tranches.

The Straw Incorporation Measure

The Straw Incorporation Measure will have a financial allocation of €10m. It is proposed that the per-hectare payment rate will be €250 for cereal crops (barley, wheat, oats, rye) and €150 per hectare for oilseed rape, given the lower market value for oilseed rape straw.

Organic Farming Scheme

The provision for the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) is €256m. This compares to €56m under the current RDP. This will allow Ireland to meet the PFG commitment of 7.5pc land cover under organic production.

Adjustments to the scheme will be designed to encourage increased
participation, taking account of costs and income foregone. The average current payment for OFS farmer is over €6,000.

Areas Facing Natural Constraints (ANC)

The ANC will seen no change to the areas eligible, following the designation of land undertaken in 2019. 95,000 farmers farming more than two million hectares will be supported. It is proposed that the financial allocation will be €250m per annum.

Suckler Scheme

The Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) replaces both the BDGP and the BEEP and will have funding of €260m in the lifetime. The scheme aims to help suckler farmers improve the economic and environmental efficiency of their enterprises.

The first ten cows will receive €150 and €120 thereafter, which is an increase from the €90 and €80 available under the beef data and genomics programme, BDGP.

A reference number will be set in terms of how many cows will be paid for, but there will not be a limit on farmers increasing their numbers.

Dairy Beef Scheme

The Dairy Beef Welfare measures builds on the pilot scheme introduced this year and has been allocated €25m.

Sheep Scheme

The Sheep Improvement Programme builds on the success of the Sheep Welfare Scheme and will have funding of €100m. Support per ewe will be increased from €10 per ewe in the Sheep Welfare Scheme to €12 per ewe in the new scheme.

On-farm Investments

On-farm investments will continue in the CSP with €440m made available over the period 2021-2027, of which €340m will be funded from the transitional RDP in the period 2021-2025.

The scheme will include support at 40pc grant rate for Young Farmers, Animal Welfare, Nutrient Storage, Farm Safety, Tillage, Dairy, and the Organic sectors.

A higher investment rate of 60pc will be offered to young farmers and women to support generational renewal and gender balance.

Knowledge Transfer Programme

Knowledge Transfer Programme will facilitate the participation of 19,000 farmers in Knowledge Transfer Groups. It is proposed that the existing payment rates, €750 to each farmer and €500 per farmer to the advisor, will be maintained.