Martin Heydon
Kildare South · Fine Gael · Ireland
“In the time allotted to us, I would say we will not be able to cover everything in CAP. To take the last point first, the budget is everything. While it is not part of my negotiations as chair of the AGRIFISH Council, it is a key focus of the Irish Presidency.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important point. A key focus of Food Vision 2030, the shared stakeholder-led strategy for the agrifood sector, is to grow the value of Irish agrifood exports in international markets, which, as I outlined earlier, we have been very successful at in recent years.”
“All producers selling raw milk must register with my Department and are subject to risk-based official controls that include inspection, audit and sampling.”
“Whether it is farmers with particular issues that are leading to environmental issues or issues with structures that need to be replaced, we are very lucky to have capital support in agriculture. I really believe in our TAMS structure.”
“I was delighted to be able to introduce the tillage sustainability support scheme earlier this year. I have not been found wanting in standing up and supporting a tillage sector that has been under pressure in recent times. The same applies to horticulture.”
“Following the publication of the report, I wrote to the chairperson of the board on 22 June 2026, requesting that the board develop a timely and effective action plan to address the recommendations in the report, and I will be seeking regular updates on its progress. I want to see these recommendations implemented and progressed.”
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“The point around the broader overall envelope and how much money there is to do this ultimately comes down to the appetite of member states. If there is an increased ambition in defence and other areas, is the appetite there for member states to ask their citizens to pay more to be a part of Europe? It is very difficult to see how all of the additional ambition can be delivered in a meaningful way from a pot that did not have the same level of expenditure on the likes of defence the last time. We hear of a lot of European countries with this level of ambition and this will be the kind of conversation that will have to happen across member states. They will happen at prime ministerial level as well and at the Council of Europe where they are doing that overall budget.”
“It absolutely is. We know how well Irish agriculture has been served down through the years and through successive CAPS and the Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 structure. I have grave concerns around any attempt to change that. Not only do I have concerns for the impact on farming, which is why I will fight so hard to articulate the Irish position very clearly, but I also have concerns about the impact on the Single Market. If we go into national policies where everything is in there together, countries will very much go back to doing what they are doing alone. While there has been a lot of frustration with some elements of the CAP, and some very valid points have been raised here, the CAP has served us well in many other respects in terms of delivery.”
“Enda Kenny and previous taoisigh asked other European colleagues to pay more into the overall budget so we could protect the CAP. It should be remembered that after Brexit there was talk about the CAP being decimated by up to 30%. Environmental money was used to supplement it and with that came the conditionality that farmers have stepped up to the plate to achieve. Overall, we cannot have food security taken for granted, the same way energy security has been challenged, and the Ukrainian crisis has focused minds in that regard. I very much hope it will focus minds in these negotiations as well.”
“Some very big decisions can be made during the MFF process on the budget that CAP had to then deal with afterwards. Commissioner Hansen saying he will come up with proposals in July as well, at the same time as CAP, has concerned some people and farm organisations but it is better if we try to do them concurrently and try to engage. I look forward to meeting the Commissioner again next Monday and when we attend a number of events together in the coming weeks, I will convey those points back to him. One of my main points is the issued raised by Deputy Aird about taking food security for granted. Before the illegal invasion by Russia of Ukraine, we did take some things for granted in Europe. We did not in Ireland.”
“I thank both Deputies for their contributions. It is very important when we have questions on agriculture, food and the marine that CAP is at their heart because it really is so important to everything we are doing. To go to some earlier points about CAP and in particular, Deputy Kenny's, to have a longer CAP, a longer budget period would be needed because the budget drives the other. On the concerns, this night last week I gave an address at the IFA CAP conference held at the Kilashee Hotel in County Kildare. It was very well attended by more than 500 farmers. There was a lot of concern, as Deputy Aird outlined, but I made the point that historically CAP proposals have come after the MFF and that has not always served us particularly well.”
“We should not be talking about defence and security without including food security as part of that conversation. I will also underline the vital role farming and food plays in our rural communities and economies and the important contribution farming and food make to EU competitiveness, innovation and climate and biodiversity ambitions. As CAP and the MFF negotiations progress, Ireland will continue to advocate for a simplified, well-funded and adaptable CAP framework that supports farm resilience, environmental ambition and rural development. Ireland will play a key role in these negotiations in the run-up to and during our Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2026.”
“Commission proposals for CAP post-2027 negotiations are likely to follow shortly after that, with negotiations on both the future MFF and future CAP running in parallel. Ensuring the CAP remains a priority in the next MFF is essential. While the EU faces rising demands in areas such as defence, security and competitiveness, we must ensure the social cohesion and stability of our rural communities is maintained. Achieving an adequate and dedicated CAP budget and retaining the full toolbox of support measures under Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 will be challenging, given the other pressures on the EU budget and proposals for new MFF funding structures. However, I am working closely with colleagues across the Government and with my counterparts in member states to underline the importance of food security to EU autonomy and security.”
“That is why, as one of my top priorities in my role, I have set in train the process of putting the building blocks in place. Ensuring a foundation is in place means my 26 EU colleagues, the other ministers for agriculture, know what our priorities are. They want to tell me what their priorities are before we have the Presidency and before I take the chair as planned in July next year. I should note that the funding for the CAP forms part of the broader EU budget known as the multi-annual financial framework or MFF. This is ultimately agreed by Heads of State and Government at the European Council. The European Commission is due to set out proposals for the next MFF this July.”
“I will continue to engage with Christophe Hansen, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, and my fellow EU ministers on the issues affecting the agrifood sector, including the CAP post-2027, at Council meetings, as well as in bilateral discussions that occur on every occasion. My next meeting of the AGRIFISH Council is next Monday in Brussels and I will travel there on Sunday evening. I will prioritise these engagements at a European level, particularly in preparation for Ireland’s Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2026 which will be a pivotal time. The point Deputy Kenny raised relates to the initial multi-annual financial framework, MFF, and the overall budget, which is obviously a critical part of this.”
“Finally, and most importantly perhaps, an adequate and dedicated budget is needed for an effective CAP, as Deputy Kenny outlined and with which I am sure Deputy Aird will concur. I am determined that the CAP will continue to play a positive role in supporting Irish farmers, our food industry, rural communities and the wider economy into the future. It is a key responsibility of the Government to raise Ireland's concerns with our EU partners and to try to influence EU policy. For my part as Minister, I meet my counterparts in the AGRIFISH Council every month to discuss and shape agriculture and food policy in the EU.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 111 and 114 together. As Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I am working closely with the EU institutions and my counterparts in other member states to try to influence the next Common Agriculture Policy. The CAP is central to the EU’s success in ensuring food security, supporting farm incomes and developing rural areas. The CAP also remains critical to the agrifood sector’s resilience and competitiveness, as it has since Ireland joined the EU more than 50 years ago. I recently set out my four key priorities for the next CAP. First, we need a CAP that is more straightforward for farmers. Second, we need a more flexible and responsive CAP. We need a CAP that has an appropriate balance between all elements of sustainability.”
“This was a baseline figure of at least 50% peat in the LPIS for it to come in under GAEC 2. That brought in some mineral soils - about 100,000 ha - but if we did not have that and if there had been any peat in the LPIS, it would have brought in 880,000 ha of mineral soils. I can expand on that further later.”
“I have been on the record a number of times on this but I am happy to reassure farmers again that there is nothing to fear in the baseline rationality around GAEC 2. Farmers can continue to do all of their normal farming activity on a day-to-day basis. That is not going to be undermined by this. It is just a baseline requirement for the basic income support process, or what farmers would know as the single farm payment. I know there are a lot of concerns around this. We had to have a minimum controllable area, which we can justify to the Commission that we are able to monitor activity on. That was the land parcel identification system, LPIS. With that, we set a baseline figure using the Hammond Teagasc map from 2009 as the most accurate way of doing that.”
“EU regulations require all member states to have a standard in place from the start of this year. The simplification proposal provides that costs arising from GAEC 2 compliance can now be included in the calculation of costs for eco-schemes or agri-environmental schemes. It is important to note two points regarding the possibility of providing specific support measures under the CSP for GAEC 2 requirements. First, Ireland's CAP strategic plan funding is already fully committed under the existing schemes and no new funding is available as part of the simplification proposals. Second, the GAEC 2 standard for Ireland, as recently introduced, is based on existing national legislation and usual farming practices.”
“This will take some time. Any changes proposed can only be introduced after that process has concluded. On my position on these proposals, my Department provided input to the Commission on options for simplification, some of which are reflected in the Commission's package. On conditionality, through my Department, I asked for the removal of GAEC 2 from the regulations on the basis of overlap between these requirements and other national and EU legislation. However, the removal of GAEC 2 has not been included in the Commission proposal so GAEC 2 will remain a conditionality requirement and will have to be applied from this year onwards. GAEC 2 is a mandatory condition of the payment of the basic income support for sustainability for farmers, as I know the Deputy is aware. The intention behind it is to protect wetlands and peatlands.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter, which is topical after last week's announcements. The proposals for CAP simplification were published on 14 May by Commissioner Hansen. I welcome any proposals that will simplify and reduce the administrative burden for farmers and for national administrations. However, as with any new legislation, we will need to carefully examine the details of the proposals and evaluate the potential impact for Ireland. My Department will analyse the proposals, and will engage with stakeholders through the forum of the CAP strategic plan monitoring committee once the possibilities are well understood. It is worth emphasising that the draft amending regulation will only take legal effect after it goes through the process of co-decision, with input from the European Parliament and the Council.”
“I appreciate the opportunity to address the House on this and I look forward to hearing colleagues' contributions over the afternoon.”
“I am putting the foundations in place now, and have been doing so since I was made Minister, to make sure that our European colleagues - my 26 colleagues on the Council of Ministers, the other 26 ministers for agriculture across Europe - are aware of what our key priorities are in Ireland and the type of CAP we want. I have monthly bilateral meetings with colleagues from other countries to understand their priorities, working together on building trust and relationships. I will be in Warsaw next month for the informal meeting of those ministers, when we get to know one another a little better and understand one another's perspectives in order that we can design a CAP that works for our farmers and our food industry that is so important to our economy.”
“The two of them coming close together is not a bad thing; it allows us to talk about the CAP in the context of the ongoing discussions about the overall financial budget for it. We do not need CAP to be left behind and decisions to be made as part of that MFF process, but either way, whenever Commissioner Hansen comes with his proposals, whenever the EU finalises its proposals on the MFF, I will be ready and my Department will be ready. The Government stands ready, we are engaging already and we have had a very long deliberative process with colleagues.”
“My four CAP priorities for the future CAP are a CAP that is more straightforward for farmers; a CAP that is more flexible and responsive; one that has an appropriate balance between all elements of sustainability - economic, environmental and societal; and, crucially, a CAP that has an adequate and dedicated budget, in order that it can retain the full toolbox of current interventions. The CAP has been the bedrock of the European project and has played a transformative role in Irish agriculture. I am committed to ensuring that it is protected and that delivering for farmers remains at its core. I know that concerns have been articulated by farming organisations about the timing of the CAP proposals and the timing of the MFF.”
“As set out in the programme for Government, this Government will fight at EU level for a well-funded CAP which can deliver on the multiple objectives of the sector. There will be significant pressures on the EU budget post 2027, arising from issues such as defence and migration. I am working closely with my colleagues in the EU to build a consensus around maintaining a strong CAP budget in order that it meets both new and existing challenges and opportunities. The CAP must maintain a stable income for farmers, support sustainable food production and contribute to climate and environmental ambitions.”
“The European Commission is expected to publish the draft Common Agricultural Policy post-2027 regulations later this year. This will likely be shortly after the publication of the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, proposals in July, which will set the EU budget over the post-2027 period. The draft CAP post-2027 proposals will be informed by a range of major reports published recently at EU level, including the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture, published last September; the AGRIFISH Council's conclusions on the future of CAP in December; and the Commission's Vision for Agriculture and Food, which was published in February. While the exact timing remains uncertain, the Irish Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2026 is likely to be crucial in progressing the legislative framework for the next CAP.”
“This is a mandatory condition of the payment of the BISS, and EU regulations require all member states to have a standard in place from the start of this year. Failure to have done so would have exposed Ireland to significant and recurring financial penalties. There has been much consultation on the implementation of the standard, with many differing opinions. However, now that the European Commission approved our proposal on 30 April, farmers can have certainty on the requirements for 2025. My Department has written and issued text message alerts to all affected farmers. The Department has also published a technical note and provided additional information to our public and private farm advisory services. I wish to make some remarks on the future of the CAP.”
“On conditionality, my Department asked for the removal of GAEC 2 from the regulations, on the basis of overlap between these requirements and other national and EU legislation. However, the removal of GAEC 2 has not been included in the proposal, so GAEC 2 will remain a conditionality requirement for 2025, as previously announced. The simplification proposal provides that costs arising from GAEC 2 compliance can now be included in the calculation of costs for eco-schemes or agri-environmental schemes. In Ireland's case, all funding is already fully committed to the existing eco and ACRES schemes, and the GAEC 2 standard, as recently introduced in Ireland, is based on existing national legislation and usual farming practices. Therefore, it will have minimal impact on farmers' day-to-day operations.”
“Also introduced was a new exemption for farmers who farm on less than 10 ha. This change removed some 20,000 Irish farmers from inspections and penalties for conditionality. This week, Commissioner Hansen announced a new draft CAP simplification package, bringing forward proposals for some further changes to the legal framework. I welcome any proposals that will simplify and reduce the administrative burden for farmers and national administrations. As with any new legislation, we will need to carefully examine the details of the proposals, and we will evaluate the potential and possible impact for Ireland. The simplification proposal will have to go through the process of co-decision, with input from the European Parliament and the Council. My Department has inputted to the Commission consultation on simplification proposals.”
“It has led to challenges and higher administrative costs, as well as delays in some payments. This situation is not unique to Ireland and has been replicated across Europe in recent years. I have been vocal about the need for simplification, particularly in my role at monthly meetings of the council of agriculture ministers, which is known as the AGRIFISH Council. The Commission is listening and has been conducting its own consultations with farmers and farm bodies across Europe. Last year, the European Commission brought amendments to the CAP legislation that introduced a number of targeted changes. Governments have been given certain flexibilities in the implementation of the conditionality standards, particularly as to how the rules should protect space for nature and what way crop rotation and diversification should work.”
“We have a strong record in Ireland in maximising the drawing down of EU funding and we are consistently in the top six member states for drawdown, with "leaving no euro behind in Europe" a guiding principle for us. The implementation of the CAP strategic plan, CSP, has continued with close consultation with all the relevant stakeholders, who regularly have opportunities to comment on the progress. While broadly speaking the plan is performing well, its implementation has not been without challenges in some areas, some of which I have mentioned already. There has been additional complexity for farmers and administrators as the new CAP bedded in in terms of both the new rules and the new approach required to deliver on national and European environmental targets.”
“The actions of the 54,000 farmers in ACRES will make a significant difference and we have reached some major milestones, including 2,400 km of new hedgerow planted, which is enough to go from Cork to Kiev; 800,000 native trees planted, about the population of Dublin, or a little less; and 6,300 km of watercourses being protected, 17 times the length of the River Shannon. In other areas, such as organics, we have seen a tripling of the amount of land farmed organically since 2020. With a fivefold increase in the budget, we reached 225,000 ha in 2024 and are over 240,000 ha so far in 2025. This is just a flavour of how the implementation is delivering on the objectives set out in the €9.8 billion strategic plan, which extends to all aspects of agriculture and rural life in Ireland.”
“We continue to make progress on the outstanding files and I am determined to see them resolved as quickly as possible. Issues such as transfer of contracts and alignment with the BISS as well as issues with scorecards have contributed to the delay in the making of payments. Work is ongoing to resolve these issues, progress is being made and there are now weekly payment runs. Payments have been finalised to almost 97% of ACRES tranche 1 participants for their 2023 activities, to a total value of just under €250 million, and 90% of participants have been paid their 2024 advances.”
“Higher grant rates are available for women and young farmers – a 60% rate – and for renewable energy and nutrient storage. In ACRES, the €1.5 billion agri-environmental scheme, we aim to address the more complex environmental issues through targeted actions at farm and landscape level. The scheme has encountered significant issues which I am acutely aware of as it sets a new framework for delivering on more complex environmental actions, in tandem with farmers and advisers. It was not acceptable to me that more than 14,000 farmers were unpaid when I took up this role at the end of January. It has been my focus to resolve these issues, get farmers paid and ensure that these issues do not arise again in future years in order to restore farmers' confidence in the scheme.”
“I look forward to receiving the report of the commission in due course. I also expect to see some initiatives from European Commissioner Hansen, as outlined in the EU's Vision for Agriculture and Food. The Government has provided the highest ever level of cofinancing for Pillar 2 rural development in the plan for 2023 to 2027. Pillar 2 includes interventions aimed at improving the economic and environmental sustainability of livestock farming, for example, the €250 million in annual support for areas of natural constraint, ANCs, the suckler carbon efficiency programme, a sheep improvement scheme and a dairy beef welfare scheme. There are investment supports available for all types of farms through targeted agriculture modernisation schemes, TAMS, across a wide range of categories to improve sustainability on farms.”
“For the 2024 scheme year, over €300 million was paid to farmers under the eco-scheme, with actions covering almost the entire utilisable agricultural area, UAA, of Ireland. Generational renewal is a strong priority of this CAP strategic plan, and the support available to young farmers has tripled in the current period. Young people are central to the continuation of a vibrant and sustainable farm sector in Ireland. The family farm is the heart of agriculture in Ireland, and I am a strong supporter of assisting the next generation in taking over the farm when the time is right to do so. We now need to consider how to support and encourage young people in the sector in the future. These efforts will be guided by the commission on generational renewal in farming, which was set up last year.”
“It provides a baseline income and is an essential risk mitigation tool for farmers, protecting them from market volatility. Environmental sustainability, which was a renewed focus for this period, is supported through a number of environmental actions in eco-schemes, ACRES, organic farming and straw incorporation, among others. The level of engagement with these schemes is a testament to the commitment of farmers to protecting and enhancing the environment. Farmers are custodians of the land and their actions to improve biodiversity, water quality, soil health and fertility are critical. Over 97% of the farmers in Ireland are participating in the eco-scheme, delivering national environmental benefits, such as space for nature.”
“More than 60% of that, which is just under €6 billion, is targeted at supporting farm incomes. Over a seven-year period, the funding is almost €1.2 billion higher - an increase of nearly 30% - than in the previous programme, and since the start of 2023 my Department has paid out over €3.7 billion on CAP schemes. The Pillar 1 direct payment schemes are primarily area based. The basic income support for sustainability, BISS, provides over 120,000 farmers with a predictable income support, based on the number of hectares they farm and the number of entitlements they hold. Providing a direct income support to Irish farmers underpins their continued sustainability and viability. It provides vital support for farm families across the country and, through the significant multiplier effect, to the wider rural economy.”
“It also contributes to the EU's broader strategic objectives, including competitiveness and strategic autonomy. While issues such as defence and mitigation have risen up the policy agenda, the contribution of the CAP cannot be overstated. We are currently about halfway through the implementation of the CAP strategic plan for the period 2023 to 2027, and I will open today's statement with a brief overview of the progress to date on this implementation. I will also provide an update on the development of the CAP after 2027 and the recently announced second CAP simplification package. Ireland's CAP strategic plan, CSP, for the period 2023 to 2027 sets the framework for how the CAP operates at a national level. The CSP has a budget of €9.8 billion over five years.”
“Under the current CAP strategic plan, which started in 2023, we are delivering funding of almost €1.9 billion a year to 120,000 Irish farmers. It is a critical support for thousands of farm enterprises the length and breadth of Ireland. Over successive reforms, the CAP has adapted to changing policy priorities, supporting farmers to achieve sustainability in all its dimensions while ensuring the availability of safe, nutritious food for EU citizens. I am firmly of the view that agrifood needs to be at the top of the EU political agenda. The sector is a major one for the EU and member states. It is a central pillar of EU policy, relating to food security, rural development, farm incomes, climate and biodiversity, social cohesion, and rural youth.”
“I am grateful to the Whip's office for making time in the Dáil schedule to discuss what is a really important topic, namely Ireland's national plan under the CAP. The CAP is one of the EU's longest-standing policies, firmly embedded in the Treaty of the European Union. The agrifood sector remains one of our most important indigenous industries, employing 169,000 people and supporting €19 billion worth of exports. Experiences over the past few years, from the Covid pandemic to the war in Ukraine and the current global trade tensions, have underlined the vital importance of this sector. Food supply chains have proved resilient, but we should not take our food, or the people who produce it, for granted. The CAP is crucial to the sector's resilience and competitiveness.”
“Apologies. I did not answer two of the Senator's earlier questions. One was on appeals and the other was on splitting the parcel. Farmers can split the parcel if there is a natural boundary like a wall or hedge in an existing land parcel. They can just do that on the application. There will be an appeals mechanism. Most farmers will not need to appeal this. It will not change their day-to-day activity. I can understand why there is confusion. I can understand how scarred and concerned people are around nature restoration and land designation. This is not that. GAEC 2 is not that. It is a baseline conditionality of just the single farm payment when you apply. My Department consulted the relevant stakeholders and NGOs on the proposed standards.”
“Anyone who is a GAEC 2 farmer has received a map indicating what land parcel on their holding comes in under that. To come up with a control area, we proposed and the Commission accepted that it would be any land parcel with 50% or more peat - it does bring in some mineral soils. We could not have less than 50% peat in the land parcel. If we went for every land parcel that had any peat in it, that would have brought in another 800,000 ha of mineral soils. We think we have got the sweet spot here where we have the right balance between doing what we need to do to meet the baseline conditionality and allowing farmers to continue to have day-to-day activities pretty much unhindered and making sure there will not be a load of farmers fined at the end of this process, which I am very confident there will not be.”
“He can continue to plough, reseed and maintain existing drains and even lay new drainage in a GAEC 2 parcel, subject to existing planning legislation. While it has been in place for 20 years, is that planning legislation in effect? Have people applied for planning previously when they were doing this drainage work? Possibly not, and that is where some of the concern is. I have received loads of queries from farmers wondering if this will stop them from getting planning permission for a house or a shed or something. It is completely separate. It only relates to applying for the single farm payment. The local planning authority does not know what parcel is GAEC 2 and what is not. It is only between the farmer and the Department. We have sent out the maps now.”
“There would be more if I went writing to farmers saying they might be in GAEC or they might not be. We know where the area is. I will talk about the map and the point the Senator raised in a minute. Ultimately, when we got approval and the Commission said it accepted our proposal, that triggered our letters to go out. How do we come up with the areas? There are a number of existing peat maps that have mapped the whole country. Teagasc has the Hammond map from 2009, which is the one we have used. It is the best one to use in this space. We had to have a controllable area so we can prove to the Commission that we have an area that we can control and examine to make sure the conditionality is met. That conditionality does not change a farmer's day-to-day activity.”
“I engaged with farm organisations and had a lot of consultation rather than just signing it, because I wanted to get my head around the issue and understand the extent of it. I reassure the House that there was really detailed engagement to make sure there was no alternative, and to reassure myself that the measures that are in the proposal will not change farmers' day-to-day activity and that there is a minimal entry element. At that point, I sent a submission to the Commission to say this is what we wanted to put in place. We had been having detailed engagement with key stakeholders like the farming organisations over the course of the past couple of years, during that time. The Commission only approved our proposal on 30 April. I could not write to farmers before then. There is enough confusion.”
“It is not in my gift to give an extra year; this is a decision of Europe. We asked for it and we were told "No". We are dead in breach. If we do not implement a measurement, we will be in breach and will be subject to fines that would definitely be in the region of €100 million-plus and would come out of my budget to support farmers. I cannot let that happen. We engaged with the Commission and looked to have a set of standards that, because it is baseline, should not impact hugely on farmers' day-to-day activities. That is what we worked towards and what we got agreed. The reason the letters are going out at such short notice is that when I came into this job on 23 January, this was not signed. We had not made a submission. It was the first thing I was asked to do.”
“I thank Senator Cosgrove for raising a really important issue and giving me the opportunity to put on the record of the House a reassurance to farmers in her area and all over the country who are concerned about GAEC 2. The Senator has outlined those concerns, and I know from my colleagues here in Donegal and Kerry as well that those concerns are shared by farmers. Much of this is down to the fact that there has been stuff talked about that has nothing to do with GAEC 2, which is a baseline conditionality for this. One's base is what was known as the single farm payment. This is only linked to that. It is a baseline requirement for that. This is something we as a country signed up to in 2023. We got a derogation in 2023 and 2024. We sought a derogation for this year.”
“All of the scaremongering, concerns and misinformation out there on nature restoration, designation and planning permission in no way apply to GAEC 2. I give the Deputy an assurance that this time next year farmers in Kerry will not be coming to me because they have fallen foul of this or have received penalties. The reason is that their day-to-day activity will not change and the requirements they have to comply with have existed in legislation long before today.”
“The local authority to which the farmer is applying will not know whether it is GAEC 2 land or not. I do not know about Kerry but in Kildare if there is peat in the soil, a farmer will not get planning permission. However, a farmer will get it in the case of mineral soils or at least that will not be a reason for not getting permission. The Deputy asked a direct question about areas of turf cutting. These areas are ineligible for BISS payments, so there is no change. GAEC 2 is only a baseline requirement for BISS, the single farm payment. If farmers are not applying for the single farm payment, which they cannot do for areas on which they are cutting turf, GAEC 2 does not apply. I am not saying the Deputy is scaremongering but others are.”
“It has always been the case that farmers seeking to lay new drainage in land with peat in it were subject to a planning permission requirement. That is the only planning requirement. In regard to the Deputy's concerns around planning permission, the only people who know their land parcel is in GAEC 2 are the farmer and the Department of agriculture. The map is not published anywhere. The local authority does not know what land is subject to GAEC 2. The normal rules will apply in the case of any farmer seeking to apply for planning permission for a shed or house. The farmer will do a T-test on the ground to see if there is peat in it and the result will determine whether the farmer receives approval for having a septic tank in that ground. That will not change.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising these points. On providing more time, the deadline for BISS applications is clearly 15 May. If I were to push that deadline back or try to extend it in any way, it would have a knock-on impact on the whole system of getting payments in place. We had delays in payments previously and are back on track in terms of making sure we can get the areas of natural constraint, ANC, scheme, BISS and single farm payments out on time and early, as we traditionally did. I do not want to interfere with that and there is no need to interfere with GAEC 2. The most important point is that farmers, whose land parcels come in under GAEC 2, are aware of that. They have the maps now to tell them that.”
“I understand the concerns raised around the timing but my Department is engaging directly with farmers and advisory services. There was no opportunity to further delay the introduction of GAEC 2. It was not legally possible to delay its introduction and failure to implement the standard would result in significant financial penalties, which I as Minister could not stand over.”
“A detailed map layer has been available on the application system for all farmers to review since before BISS applications opened. My Department has written to every farmer who has at least one parcel identified as GAEC 2, with a map and further information on the requirements. Farmers have been receiving these letters since last week, but I still encourage all farmers to check the map on the system and engage with their farm advisory service advisers. Department officials continue to attend local meetings on this issue to help explain the conditionality requirements to farmers and to reassure them there is no need for the concerns raised by the Deputy. The key point that I wish to reiterate is that for the vast majority of farmers, this will have no impact on their day-to-day operations.”