IFA Rural Development Chairman, Tom Turley has urged the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith to immediately notify the 9,000 farmers who applied for the AEOS of their acceptance into the new agri-environmental scheme.
Mr. Turley said farmers applied to the AEOS before the mid May deadline but yet farmers have not been approved in the intervening three and a half months since. Farmers must get immediate approval with a start up date of 1st June which was the procedure which applied for the REPS 4 scheme.
The Rural Development chairman said that the first 75% of payment will be made later in the year with 25% of payment made shortly afterwards. Every month delay in the payment date start-up is costing farmers €3 million as the AEOS plans are being implemented and compliance costs are being incurred.
IFA has also called for agreement to be finalised between the Department of Agriculture and the EU Commission to increase the Natura payment from €75/ha to €150/ha and to allow 30kgN/ha on Species Rich Grassland. When this is agreed farmers in AEOS must be allowed benefit, as it will raise the payment of some farmers.
Mr. Turley said that once the current AEOS applications are sorted out, the Minister must then proceed to open up the AEOS scheme for the thousands of farmers who will finish REPS 3 plans before next year area aid application.