The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D., has issued a strong reminder to farmers and advisors that hedgerows, trees in a line and drains / ditches are designated as landscape features under Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC). Under GAEC 7 beneficiaries are obliged to retain and maintain designated landscape features. 

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has issued a strong warning to farmers and their advisors in relation to agricultural and eligible forestry land which is burnt illegally during the closed season – i.e. 1 March to 31 August.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., today announced the early opening of the application process for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the Greening Scheme.

OBJECTIVES OF THE SCHEME

To further increase economic and environmental efficiency in the suckler herd through better quality data on herd performance, supporting decision making on farm.

Meal bins are now included for all sectors at a grant rate of 40% and 60% for young trained farmers who have their herd number less than five years and who are under forty years of age.

This list details all the companies that are accepted as producing meal bins / grain silos for grant-aid.

The following is an email that I received from the Nitrates section. This only applies to farmers that are using water from a well, stream, river or lake. Those farmers that are on the mains water system are already being recorded. It only applies to farmers with large numbers of livestock as you can see from the table below.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., today confirmed the continuation of the supports from his Department for the early removal of PI (persistently infected) calves under the national Bovine Viral Disease (BVD) Eradication Programme in 2019.

Soil analysis will tailor fertilizer application to match crop requirement ensuring optimum crop production, by reducing nutrient loss to the environment and growing farm profitability.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D., today announced details in relation to the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme for 2019.

The Mater Private Hospital in Dublin, who have held a successful partnership with IFA for a number of years, have launched a new Vascular Health Programme which offers a rapid and direct access to vascular diagnostic tests.

The Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine has announced that Nitrogen and Phosphorus statements (N&P Statements) for the period January to October 2018 are now available on the Department’s online system www.agfood.ie.

The calving season on approximately 20% of Irish suckler farms that operate an autumn-calving system has drawn to a close.

Agri-environment programmes

The allocation for GLAS 2019 is €203m. This will also include some residual cases of farmers who are

still in AEOS. The Organics scheme was allocated €11m with additional €1.2m for the development of

the Organics sector.

If any farmer that applied under the LESS option on his GLAS plan the department of Agriculture are sending out forms to every farmer in GLAS that has opted for this option.

IFA Environment Chairman Thomas Cooney has called on Environment Minister Denis Naughten to announce additional recycling dates for farm waste tyres, following the unprecedented level of support for the service at the first bring centre in Cootehill, Co. Cavan last Saturday.