Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Like all of our environmental and climate objectives in the CAP Strategic Plan, and the prior Rural Development Programme, we are using a multi-action approach to habitat creation and maintenance.

It begins with the basic definition of the Eligible Hectare. Since 2023, our definition allows eligible hectares to contain other landscape features that are beneficial to the environment and biodiversity. Where previously farmers would have been encouraged to remove any scrub, copse and woodland, now they can receive payment on these areas, provided agricultural activity can still take place.

The next approach is Conditionality, the rules and standards that all farmers must comply with to receive CAP payments. Several aspects of Conditionality apply to the protection of habitats. For example, under GAEC standard 8, farmers must devote a minimum of 4% of their parcels to non productive features. This includes field margins, ditches, hedgerows, and traditional stonewalls.

This is enhanced with the voluntary schemes that a farmer can participate in. In these schemes, farmers receive additional payments by going beyond the basic conditions required for CAP supports.

In our Eco-scheme, a Pillar 1 Direct Payments Scheme with a budget of almost €1.5billion, the most popular choice for farmers in 2023 was the "Space for Nature" option. In this, farmers set aside 7% or 10% of their farms for non-productive space for nature, providing essential habitats throughout the year. Eco-schemes had a very high participation rate in 2023: about 97% of farmers chose to come into the scheme. The payment rate was an attractive €67 per hectare. This was for actions that are straightforward for farmers to implement, with a big cumulative impact.

In Pillar 2 rural development schemes, we use more targeted actions, usually with a locally-led approach. ACRES, for example is our flagship €1.5 billion euro agri-environmental scheme. Farmers in ACRES work to provide significant benefits at landscape level for biodiversity, climate and water quality. We use results-based actions, which is new to farmers and advisers, but already showing great promise.

With support from the CSP, as well as core measures outside the Plan, at least 30% of agricultural habitats with a status of unfavourable are expected to demonstrate improving trends towards achieving favourable status by 2030.