Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Tom Hayes, for taking this matter.

As the Minister of State knows, there was a protest outside his Department today by farmers from many counties, especially those along the west coast and the south west, about GLAS and, in particular, the restrictions the Minister of State and the Minister are placing on that scheme by requiring a minimum of 50% of all farmers involved in a commonage to participate in the scheme in order for any one farmer to be involved in it. I know from the response to a parliamentary question I tabled that it has been reduced from a previous threshold of 80% of all farmers participating. However, I would like to highlight some very pertinent figures in respect of the nonsensical behaviour of the Department and the Minister of State and the Minister in trying to put in this threshold and the impact it will have which is that the vast majority of farmers with commonage will be excluded from participating in GLAS.

Nationally, there are 14,929 farms with commonage, which is approximately 11% of all farms. Of that 14,929, 3,500 farmers participated in REPS, which was a 24% take-up by farmers with commonage. Farmers could join REPS individually and it was not dependent on other farmers joining. It also had a maximum payment rate of €12,000. This new GLAS scheme has a maximum payment rate of €5,000. Unlike the previous schemes, farmers cannot join it on their own but can only join if 50% of all other farmers who have use of a commonage join. The experience is that only 24% availed of previous schemes. Unless the Minister of State and Minister reverse this decision, they will block farmers who have commonage from participating in GLAS.

Many of these farm households have lower incomes compared to average incomes. For example, the average beef farm income last year was €15,000 while the average sheep farm income was €11,000, which was significantly down. Although this new GLAS scheme has a lower income threshold of €5,000, it would represent a big proportion of the income for the average beef or sheep farmer and yet the Minister of State and the Minister, through these proposals, are excluding many of the most vulnerable family farms from participating in this scheme.

Will the Minister of State address those points in his reply? Will he clarify when farmers will be able to get their first payment under GLAS? Is it correct that it will not be until the end of the first year in which case farmers will not be able to get a payment under GLAS until 2016 at the earliest? It is unacceptable, in particular for low income family farmers, to be deprived of an essential payment and part of their income for such a long period of time.

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