REPS target of 70,000 members by 2006 unlikely
An analysis by a leading Teagasc environmentalist revealed yesterday that the number of farmers taking part in the scheme was projected to increase from 37,000 at present to 54,000 by 2006.
Teagasc chief environmental adviser Sean Regan said that while there were 71,000 additional farmers capable of joining REPS, at most, only 25 per cent of these could be expected to join the scheme over the next four years.
Aspects such as age, marital status, farm size and other sources of income would be major factors in non-participation, Mr Regan said.
Addressing the Teagasc National REPS Conference in Tullamore, he said the biggest potential for increased participation was on beef and sheep farms. Up to 10,000 beef farmers and 3,000 sheep farmers could join the scheme by 2006.
While there were about 5,500 tillage farmers not taking part in REPS, many were operating large tillage enterprises and were unlikely to be attracted to the scheme. At most, 1,000 were likely to join over the next four years.
Mr Regan said small-scale dairy farmers would reap economic benefits from REPS. Many of these had relatively low stocking densities and were applying more nitrogen than necessary for optimal production. He projected that up to 4,000 of these dairy farmers could be attracted to the scheme.
"Overall, the analysis projects up to an additional 18,000 participants by 2006. This is an optimistic assessment and is contingent on a number of changes in the scheme."
Mr Regan said changes announced this week by Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Joe Walsh, particularly those about verification of land ownership, were likely to have a positive impact.
Other changes in the EU mid-term review of the scheme, such as front-loading of REPS payments to small-holders, would affect participation.
The Teagasc farm income survey showed that 37,600 farmers were paid €158 a hectare under REPS in 2001. The payment, aimed at covering the costs of implementing a comprehensive environmental programme, was made on a maximum of 40 hectares a farm.
The survey showed that average income on REPS farms in 2001 was €413 a hectare.
The income on the 71,000 similarly stocked, non-REPS farms was €377 a hectare.
A further group of 11,500 intensively-run farms had an income of €946 a hectare. Most were dairy farms, which experienced a bumper year last year.
Mr Regan said that while the income gap between REPS and similarly stocked non-REPS farms had narrowed in 2001, there were still advantages in participation. "Farmyard investment on the extensively-run farms not involved in REPS dropped by half in 2001 to 25 per hectare.
"This indicates the very tight financial position of these farmers, particularly those involved in beef.
"In contrast, farmers involved in REPS spent almost €50 per hectare on their farmyards in 2001."
Mr Regan said that despite the negative impact of inflation on REPS payments, the scheme was still attractive, especially in the context of low income in beef and sheep production.
