€5,000 is maximum payment under agri-environment scheme

DETAILS of the new agri-environment scheme will be finalised over the next few weeks. The maximum payment will be €5,000 each for up to 10,000 participants.

It replaces REPS, in which up to 63,000 participated.

The scheme is focused on the priority areas of biodiversity, climate change and water management. There will be a five-year contract period for participants, and expenditure will depend on the number of applicants, the nature of the environmental measures which they undertake, and the resources available to the Department of Agriculture.