Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS)
In Ireland over 65,300 farmers participate in the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS), with the number of farmers from each River Basin District (RBD) in REPS outlined in the table below. REPS is an optional scheme for farmers whereby farming activities are carried out often sacrificing output, yield and earning potetial from resoureces available. The Department of Agriculture has defined the objectives of the scheme as follows:
- Establish farming practices and production methods which reflect the increasing concern for conservation, landscape protection and wider environmental problems.
- Protect wildlife habitats and endangered species of flora and fauna.
- Produce quality food in an extensive and environmentally friendly manner.
On - Farm Improvement
In recent years farmers have spent vast sums of money upgrading farmyards and farm buildings to comply with the nitrates regulations and the Water Framework Directive. Nationally farmers have spent over €2 billion up-grading farmyards and farm buildings. The table below shows the approximate spend by farmers in each of the RBDs, over the last two years on nutrient storage, farm buildings and farm-yard improvements to comply with the Water Framework Directive and its daughter directive the Nitrates Directive.
| River Basin District |
Farm Improvements Spend by Farmers (Approx) |
| Western RBD |
€387 million |
| South Western RBD |
€425 million |
| Shannon IRBD |
€829 million |
| South Eastern RBD |
€490 million |
| North Western IRBD |
€418 million |
| Neagh Bann IRBD |
€110 million |
| Eastern RBD |
€191 million |
Key Numbers
€2 billion. The approximate spend nationally by farmers to comply with the Water Framework Directive and its daughter directive the Nitrates Directive.
71.4%. The percentage of rivers in Ireland classified as unpolluted.
92%. The percentage of lakes in Ireland classified as unpolluted.
100,000 tonnes. The reduction in chemical nitrogen usage in Ireland in the past decade.
56%. The percentage reduction on chemical phosphorous usage in Ireland over the past 30 years.
0.5%. The percentage of the population affected by a restriction of water use, due to nitrate in the water.
65,328. The approximate number of farmers in Ireland that participate in the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme.
92%. The percentage of urban agglomerations in 2006, which were located in sensitive areas and were not served by treatment plants providing secondary and tertiary (nitrogen and phosphorous removal) treatment.
43%. The average national water leakage rate. This is water which never reaches the farm gate but farmers are expected to pay County Councils.
6%. The percentage reduction in the Local Government Fund. This fund is used to pay for the cost of supplying water to the domestic sector.
78%. The percentage of the population affected by a restrictive water usage notice, where the notice was due to the presence of cryptosporidium in the water in the year 2006-2007. The source of this cryptosporidium was attributed to human faecal coliform.
10%. The percentage of forest cover in Ireland. The European average is 50%.
17%. The target percentage of forest cover by 2010, identified in the 1996 Government publication “Growing for the Future”, required for Ireland to have a timber production sector with sufficient commercial scale.
€2billion. This is the market value of the 350,000 hectares of land, which could be sterilised if the proposal to limit or avoid afforestation on peat sites is implemented.