Noel Bardon

Level of applications received for the €85m farmer and agri contractor fuel scheme could facilitate a payment rate of more than the 20c/l initially announced.

Member states have agreed to pursue the merging of the CAP’s current standalone budget into a larger ‘single fund’ that will cover non-farming areas of EU spending.

The possibility of a return to coupled payments in the 2028-2034 CAP has been rejected by the INHFA.

Coupled payments and a full flattening of the per hectare payment in area-based schemes are areas where farm organisations have yet to find consensus.

Macra has refreshed its idea of a farm succession scheme that would see farmers needing to put a farm handover plan in place by the age of 63 to continue receiving CAP payments into retirement.

The ICMSA does not want to see coupled income supports introduced in the 2028-2034 CAP as it warned that any headage would require a reduction in funds for area-based schemes.

The IFA is to look for “some link to on-farm productivity” when it comes to income supports in the 2028-2034 CAP.

Minister Heydon has said that plans to put EU crisis funds on the table for farmers leaves him with a 'number of different options' to help counteract high fertiliser costs.

Alarm bells are ringing in the Commission on the future of the livestock sector, with fears that “around 11% of the agricultural land could be abandoned by 2030”.

Topping, running goats or keeping donkeys can be used to demonstrate the farm activity needed to claim BISS, in lieu of meeting the ewe/ha stocking rate check.