Coveney focused on efficiency
“I will be prioritising the limited amount of money we have to spend for key areas, including supporting the strategy in Food Harvest 2020 and supporting farmers so as to keep them on the land in the first place. Many farm families could not stay farming if they did not have a certain amount of subsidy and support. The two key areas, therefore, concern increased productivity and efficiency, as referred to in the Food Harvest 2020 document, and the type of farmer who needs the financial support of the State and European Union.”
He said the Government will be under much more pressure next year in the context of expenditure, and is trying to finalise as many payments as possible this year, both environmental schemes and grant-aid schemes. “If we grant-aid developments on farms under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, we will seek to get that money spent this year.”
He has also said farmers who have not received their AEOS payments for the final three months of last year are likely to get the outstanding payments at the end of July, or the beginning of August.
On payments for Natura qualifying land under the agri-environment options scheme, AEOS, he said: “If we decide the best way to obtain value for money is to seek from the European Commission an increase from €75 to €150, we will pursue that route. The Commission was not forthcoming when we sought the increase up to a number of weeks ago,” he said.
About 75% of the funding for the AEO schemes comes from the EU. “The reason I wanted to stick with the sum of €75 per hectare, rather than €150, is that I want as many farmers as possible to qualify for AEOS 2. Thus, I had to make some choices. This is why I want to include the maximum number of farmers possible given the limited budget available to me.”
