CAP changes to allow up to 50% scrub without penalty
The upper limit on features beneficial to water protection, climate or biodiversity (before reduction of eligible area kicks in) has been increased from 30% to 50%.
Next year, a farmer can have up to 50% of features such as scrub, trees, copses, woodland, habitat, or rock, without a reduction in the eligible area for payment.
This is one of the main changes in Ireland's version two of the CAP strategic plan submitted to Brussels.
Last December, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) submitted version one. However, at the end of March, the EU Commission came back with 105 "observations", and invited Ireland to submit a revised CAP strategic plan.
DAFM hopes to get EU approval of the revised plan in September or October, in time to complete preparation for the CAP coming into effect on January 1, 2023.
The upper limit on features beneficial to water protection, climate or biodiversity (before reduction of eligible area kicks in) has been increased from 30% to 50%. So there will be less pressure on farmers to clear scrub and spray rushes.
For example, the plan for next year will allow a two-hectare parcel of land with such features covering 0.8 hectares to be all eligible area.
If between 50.1% and 70% of a permanent grassland parcel contains these features, the area occupied by these beneficial features will be mapped and deducted from the eligible area. For example, if the 2-hectare parcel has 1.2 hectares of such features (60%), the eligible area of the parcel would be 0.8 hectares.
If over 70.1% of a permanent grassland parcel, or over 50.1% of an arable parcel, contains such features, the entire parcel will be ineligible (as is currently the case), because agriculture and agricultural activity is no longer predominant.
From next year, bare rock in a farm will also count towards the at least 4% non-productive area required of all farmers to qualify for direct payments (with exemptions from the 4% relating to commonage, Natura 2000, wetland, forestry, etc).
Also under the heading of non-productive area, the revised proposal on hedgerow removal is that it is permitted in exceptional cases, but the obligation to replace a removed hedge with two times the removed length stipulates it must be as close as possible to the removed feature.
For a farmer to retain 25% of the single payment, participation in eco-schemes is necessary in the new CAP.
In the latest proposal, in the Extensive Livestock Production eco-scheme, the maximum stocking rate is reduced to 1.4 livestock units (from 1.5), the minimum stocking rate changes to to 0.1 from 0.15, and there is a new option of 1.2 livestock units per hectare (which qualifies as two eco-scheme actions).
Another change is that the 7% or 10% of a farm devoted to Space for Nature can include features on areas such as commonage, Natura 2000, or wetland.
In the eco-scheme for use of a GPS-controlled fertiliser spreader or GPS-controlled sprayer, the requirement goes from application of at least 60% of chemical fertiliser (compound or liquid) or plant protection product to 100%.
In the Multi-species Sward eco-scheme, the requirement goes from at least 6% of the farmer's eligible area to 7%.
Also proposed by DAFM to the EU is a revised approach to the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme. The focus will be on improving the beef traits of calves born in dairy herds, use of AI from high dairy beef index sires in dairy herds, and on retention of calves on the island and greater integration into local production systems (dairy/beef systems). No change is proposed in the €20/head payment rate.
DAFM has clarified to the EU that hedgerows and trees newly planted for the new CAP cannot be used as non-productive area (space for nature) in the year of planting. Nor will trees/hedgerows planted for ACRES count as non-productive areas.
DAFM has also confirmed that Ireland intends to avail of an EU derogation in 2023, allowing tillage farmers to drop the crop rotation in arable land (which is normally a requirement to qualify for direct payments).
DAFM also confirmed that Ireland was one of 26 countries that voted in favour of the proposal to derogate from rotation and non-productive (fallow) land for 2023.
Across the EU, this move designed to increase food security worldwide is estimated to put 1.5m extra hectares in production compared to today.
There was a non-productive (fallow) land EU derogation for 2022, but Ireland did not avail of it, and will not avail of the fallow derogation in 2023.
But Ireland will avail of the rotation derogation, in order to provide some flexibility for farmers who are now making cropping decisions, and to give them time to adjust to the new 2023 CAP arrangements.
