ICMSA leader says GLAS uptake among diary farmers likely to be low

While welcoming the announcement that a second tranche for applicants under the GLAS scheme will open in the early Autumn, the ICMSA President, John Comer, said that many farmers - particularly dairy farmers - who previously participated in REPS have simply walked away from the GLAS.

Mr Comer said many farmers believe that the scheme was not practical or suitable for their farming enterprise and that this should be a matter of concern to the Department and the EU as being an issue that needed to be addressed before the second tranche starts.

“ICMSA is concerned that specific groups of farmers are effectively excluded from the scheme as the specifications, options and rules simply make it impossible for them to participate in the scheme while also trying to make a living from the farm.

“This is particularly true of farmers who are highly stocked or farming small acreages. In those cases, such farmers are totally dependent on farming for their income and it is disappointing that they are unable to see merit in participation in GLAS but the truth is, quite bluntly, that they just don’t see the point at present.

“If we’re going to change that perception then we need a clear and speedy review of the options available to such farmers and possibly small amendments,” he said.