Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I secured an additional €79 million, including €23 million from the carbon tax fund, in budget 2021 to support actions in the area of biodiversity, climate, environment and farm health and safety, while also supporting farm incomes. Part of this is the results-based environment agri pilot, REAP. While it is small, it is innovative, ambitious and farmer friendly.

It is a pilot because we are in a transition period between now and the new CAP kicking off in January 2023. It will pay up to a maximum of €12,600 between now and then. We expect the average payment on 10 ha to be close to €5,000 which is significant in terms of income. Both small and large farmers can benefit fully from the income that it actually generates. It will also allow them to make a contribution in terms of biodiversity and climate change, allowing everybody to contribute equally to that, be they a small or large farmer.

It is five times oversubscribed. We heard lots of criticism in advance of the scheme being published but not a peep of criticism since then. The only criticism is, what I predicted at the outset, that we would have more of the scheme than the pilot terms and conditions would allow. It is five times oversubscribed. I would love to be able to accommodate everyone in it. I have written to the European Commissioner on how we can accommodate more and to see if the potential is there for that. It will contribute significantly to farm incomes and will be an important measure for biodiversity and climate change.

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