REPS worth €1.3bn and counting to farms

David Storey on the scheme which many farmers will turn to as they carried reduced stock numbers in the decoupled era.

THE Rural Environment Protection Scheme has provided many farmers with a welcome and secure boost to their income. About 33% of Ireland's utilisable agricultural area is now being farmed under REPS guidelines evidence of the popularity of the scheme.

The 45,500 farmers who participated in REPS 1 were paid more than €972 million, and a similar number joined REPS 2.