Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1162. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who are currently enrolled in environmental schemes; the number who will be out of contract at the end of 2021; the number who will be able to reapply to another environmental scheme in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51984/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Details regarding the numbers of farmers who are currently enrolled in environmental schemes as requested by the Deputy are as follows:

BDGP

BDGP was made available in 2015 with contracts available up to 2020. Extensions to the programme are available in 2021 and 2022. The current participation in the programme is 17,669 herds.

REAP

REAP is a pilot project designed to test the results-based model in an agri-environment context. The project will explore the potential of upscaling the model as part of the next national agri-environment scheme to follow on from GLAS. REAP opened for applications in April 2021 with participants approved for the two year period of this pilot project, 2021 and 2022.

GLAS

GLAS was made available in October 2015 and consisted of three tranches, with contracts under the first two tranches extended last year to 31st December 2021. The breakdown (at September 2021) of active participants per tranche is as follows:

There would therefore be potentially c.45,600 eligible for an offer for extension this year.

Organic Farming Scheme

Straw Incorporation Measure

Terms and conditions for any new scheme being introduced in 2022 would be unique to that individual scheme. This will include the eligibility criteria that each applicant would need to meet to participate.