Farmers Urged to Embrace New Environment Scheme

3 November 2004

The enhanced Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) will play a pivotal role on more than 50,000 farms over the coming years, a Teagasc national conference was told.

Eugene Ryan, Head of REPS with Teagasc, told the Teagasc National REPS Conference in Tullamore that the new REPS 3 has the attraction of an increase of 30% in payments to farmers together with the opportunity to participate in a range of environmental enhancement activities.

“For a 40 ha (100 acres) farm, the basic REPS payment is now €7,500 a year for five years. Attractive additional payments are also available for farmers who adopt supplementary environment improvement measures.”

“As farmers plan their future following the implementation of the radical changes in farm policy next January, they must look seriously at maximum involvement in REPS”, said Eugene Ryan.

He announced that payments to farmers under REPS over the past decade have totalled €1.3 billion. A total of 45,500 farmers had participated in REPS 1 between 1994 and 1999. Participation levels in REPS 2 dropped to 38,500 between November 2000 and March 2004. This was largely due to static payments since the introduction of the scheme in 1994.

“The substantial increase in payments under REPS 3 gives a renewed impetus to participation levels. Teagasc estimates that up to 55,000 farmers could join the scheme. Allowing for a dropout of 3,500 participants from REPS 2, this means that the new scheme has the potential to attract 20,000 new farmer participants between now and the end of 2006,” said Eugene Ryan.

Eugene Ryan stressed that REPS must deliver for the environment if it is to continue in its present broad context. A key feature of the new scheme is the increased emphasis on bio-diversity enhancement. The requirement that farmers must adopt some of these bio-diversity measures is aimed at bringing about a greater environmental return to the substantial EU and national funds invested in the scheme.

“One of the new measures involves sowing a crops mixture such as oats and linseed as feed for wild life. The crops are sown with minimal cultivation and no pesticides are allowed. The crop is not harvested and farmers receive a payment of €1,300 per year for an area of 2.5 ha.”

“Another option is for farmers to participate in the production of rare breeds which gives an additional annual payment of €200 per livestock unit over and above the basic REPS payment,” said Eugene Ryan.

He said many of the new bio-diversity options are no more onerous than good farm maintenance, landscape enhancement or good farm practice. However, they will enhance and enliven the working environment on the farm.

• The 2004 REPS Conference proceedings are available online.