Record €283m paid under REPS

RECORD payments of nearly €283 million were made in 2005 under the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS), which encourages and rewards farming practices designed to preserve the environment and enhance biodiversity.

Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan said the scheme was delivering benefits to society as a whole through better water quality, an increase in wild birds and other species, and a more varied and natural landscape.

The number of farmers in the scheme also broke previous records, passing the 48,000 mark at the beginning of November.