"Farmers sold out’ by department" - An Taisce

An Taisce has claimed that farmers have been “sold out” by the Department of Agriculture’s decision to re-allocate over €400m worth of CAP funding that had been earmarked for spending on Ireland’s most threatened wildlife areas.

Now the national heritage body has written to the European Commission’s Agriculture and Environment Directorates-General to query the legality of the re-allocation under the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013, and it said that the commission has confirmed it is now investigating .

The original budget for distribution to farmers managing land within special protected areas was €528m.

However, in 2013 the department announced that only €93m would be spent on these lands — known as Natura 2000 sites — and that the balance of over €400m would be re-allocated.

An Taisce has claimed the Department of Agriculture appears to prefer to spread CAP agri-environment money as widely as possible, but that as a result, the impact of the funding is diluted, with little benefit to the environment.

By example, an Taisce said that more than 4,400 farmers have had land designated in order to help conserve the endangered hen harrier.

These farmers are entitled to financial support so they can continue traditional farming practices that support the hen harrier and the natural and cultural heritage of the country’s uplands.

However, An Taisce said that only 377 farmers or 9% of those eligible for this support successfully accessed the relevant scheme before the Natura 2000 funds were re-allocated by the department.

“In the case of the hen harrier, farmers claim that their designated land is worth only €1,000 per acre while adjoining undesignated land is worth at least €4,000 per acre for forestry.

“This creates a major financial incentive to afforest land, at the expense of the hen harrier, and sows discontent amongst those with designated land,” said Fintan Kelly of An Taisce’s Natural Environment Office.

Responding to An Taisce’s claims, the department said expenditure on voluntary agri-environment schemes is demand-led and that actual demand under the measure proved to be significantly less than had been provided for.

The financial provision for Natura was revised to reflect the actual spend, a statement from the department read.

The department said the €95m expended under the Natura budget line does not take into account expenditure under the agri-environment scheme.