Farmers fear blight on landscape in wake of major SFP reductions

Conor Power and Stephen Cadogan report on growing discontent in wake of ineligibility penalties.

THE signal from Europe could not be clearer. Bio-diverse landscapes need to be eliminated, or you will suffer savage multi-annual cuts to your single payment.

So said Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association national president Gabriel Gilmartin, as farmers nationwide react to heavy-handed Government enforcement of land eligibility reductions in the single farm payment (SFP) system which transfers about €1.2bn per year of EU money to Irish farmers.