GLAS payment applications increase

GLAS payments are now being issued to thousands of farmers countrywide, Agriculture, Food and Marine Minister, Simon Coveney, has announced.

He said this was another milestone for the roll-out of GLAS, one of the most attractive agri-environment schemes ever offered to Irish farmers.

“Interest in the second tranche of GLAS has again exceeded expectations, with over 14,000 applications submitted,” he said.

17,625 farmers, with a start date of October 1, 2015, will receive a first instalment payment of what is due for the period October to December.

The value of payments comes to €11.5m.

Minister Coveney said he was pleased to see such a proportion of tier-one and tier-two applications being submitted in this tranche, which together accounted for 80% of all applications.

Farmers will see the full value of their GLAS contracts realised in 2016, which is the first full year of their five-year contracts.

GLAS is the new agri-environment scheme, and is part of the €4bn Rural Development Programme, 2014-2020.

It ties in with the green vision for Irish agriculture, as contained in Food Harvest 2020, and as promoted by Bord Bia in the Origin Green campaign.