Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

What exactly is the Minister going to deliver? Many promises were made before the last election, as there usually are. This was an unusual situation in that the promises continued on into the programme for Government. The Irish Farmers Association, IFA, has been particularly unimpressed by the results-based environmental agri pilot, REAP, scheme. I looked at it and I was a little bit staggered by the extent to which there is a certain maximum amount which can be drawn down. It is very low. Is it being suggested, therefore, that big farmers should not bother with environmental protection? The difficulty now is that a certain cohort of farmers opt out of the single farm payment completely because it ties their hands regarding what they can do with cross-compliance etc.

On the other hand, it is obviously an incentive for the majority of farmers to obtain the single farm payment. Equally, however, a large cohort of farmers would like to do what Deputy Leddin suggested and ensure their farming is done in a more environmental and sustainable way. More incentives were in place ten years ago, though, with the rural environment protection scheme, REPS, than there are now. There were also fewer ceilings in place in that scheme. How can the ceilings in the REAP scheme be justified, when contrasted with the lack of such ceilings in respect of the single farm payment? It simply does not make sense. I refer to incentivising farmers for every acre they farm.

We must also not forget that many farmers are farming large areas of marginal land. The whole idea of the single farm payment is that it compensates people for farming in a particular way and respecting the environment. However, it is even more difficult to farm marginal land sustainably and profitably than it is to farm 100 acres of land down the road from here and much closer to Dublin than where I or the Minister live. I think we both accept that point. Why, therefore, are we capping the number of acres for which payment is allowed to be received for adhering to the highest environmental standards in the world? Most people accept that it is important now that environmental standards be adhered to. However, that endeavour must be incentivised in some manner. What does the Minister intend to do in that regard?

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