Tuesday 27 September 2016





Press Release on Interim Commonage Plans 

27 September 2016

CREED ANNOUNCES INTERIM ARRANGEMENTS FOR COMMONAGE MANAGEMENT PLANS UNDER GLAS

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D. today announced his Department is putting arrangements in place to provide for the submission of interim Commonage Management Plans by the end of October 2016. 

“In order to maximise the numbers of GLAS participants included under the final Commonage Management Plan process my Department is putting arrangements in place to provide for the submission of interim Commonage Management Plans by the end of October 2016. This process will ensure that payments can issue to all eligible GLAS participants at the same time later this year” said Minister Creed.

 The Scheme provides for maximum basic payment of €5,000 per annum to participants on the basis of the range and quantity of environmental actions they deliver as part of their GLAS plan. On the basis of the commitments made by participants under the first two tranches of the Scheme, Commonage Management Plans will be prepared for a significant number of commonages nationally. 

“The Green, Low-Carbon, Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) launched in 2015 has been a major success with over 38,000 applicants approved for participation in the first two tranches of the Scheme. This represents the highest number of applicants ever approved for participation in an agri-environment scheme in a single year. It has also been extremely successful in the range of actions undertaken by participants in the five year scheme.” concluded Minister Creed. ENDS

Friday 16 September 2016

GLAS 3



One topic that has recurred again and again at our Commonage meetings is the continuing belief that AEOS participants can see out their contracts and then join GLAS. This is incorrect, of course farmers can see out their AEOS contract but they if they choose to do this they must appreciate that the last opportunity to join GLAS will be this Autumn and their decision to stick with AEOS means they will have missed the boat. If you do not join GLAS this Autumn there will be no scheme available to you when your AEOS contract finishes.

Lets look at the impact of this on participants in AEOS 1, 2 & 3 respectively. 

AEOS 1 participants joined that scheme in the summer of 2010, they got a contract running until the end of 2016. They will be finishing that contract this year and can have a seam less transition into GLAS. 

AEOS 2 participants joined that scheme in 2011 and have a contract that will run until the end of 2017, if they stay in AEOS they will lose out on upto €25,000 in GLAS for the sake of a maximum of €4,000 in AEOS.

AEOS 3 participants who choose to stay in that scheme will be opting for a maximum payout in AEOS of €8,000 in preference to upto €25,000 in GLAS. 

Obviously this is a decision for the individual farmer and there may well be other reasons that may  be relevant to them. But from a financial perspective this is a no brainer, if you do not join GLAS this time around the door will have closed on that scheme and you may have to wait for many years before another agri - environment scheme becomes available.

On a separate note we are continuing to make good progress on completing commonage fieldwork. A list of the commonages that we deal with is given below. Of the remaining sites most are commonages with GLAS 2 applicants only and which were only allocated to us in the last few weeks. It remains our intention to have all of these completed  before the end of September. 

County  Commonage Status 
Clare Coastal
Galway  Courhoor Fieldwork Complete
Galway Maw Fieldwork Complete 
Galway Cloughaunard
Galway Doon  Fieldwork Complete 
Galway Fahy
Galway Ballyconneely
Galway Ardkyle Fieldwork Complete
Galway Lettergesh East Fieldwork Complete
Galway Lettergesh East Fieldwork Complete
Galway  Toombeola
Galway Murvey Fieldwork Complete
Galway Cuilleen
Galway Glynsk Fieldwork Complete
Galway Letterdeskert
Galway Ardmore Fieldwork Complete
Galway Callowfinish Fieldwork Complete
Galway Kilkieran Fieldwork Complete
Galway Letterpibrum Fieldwork Complete
Galway Shannawirra Fieldwork Complete
Galway Kylesalia Fieldwork Complete
Galway Loughaconeera Fieldwork Complete
Galway Glennagevlagh Fieldwork Complete
Galway Crumlin East Fieldwork Complete
Galway Dooghta Fieldwork Complete
Galway Ballyweeaun Fieldwork Complete
Galway Boocaun Fieldwork Complete
Galway Glentrasna Fieldwork Complete
Galway Lettermore Fieldwork Complete
Galway Lugganaffrin Fieldwork Complete
Galway Shanvally Fieldwork Complete
Galway Halfcarton Fieldwork Complete
Galway Knockadav Fieldwork Complete
Galway  Oorid Fieldwork Complete
Galway Shannavarra  Fieldwork Complete
Galway Turlough Fieldwork Complete
Galway Turlough Fieldwork Complete
Galway Camus Oughter Fieldwork Complete
Galway Kinvarra Fieldwork Complete
Galway Bealadangan Fieldwork Complete
Galway Bealadangan Fieldwork Complete
Galway Lettercallow Fieldwork Complete
Galway Lettermore Fieldwork Complete
Galway Maumeen Fieldwork Complete
Galway Barraderry Fieldwork Complete
Galway Carrowroe North Fieldwork Complete
Galway Carraroe North Fieldwork Complete
Galway Carrowroe West Fieldwork Complete
Galway Clynagh Fieldwork Complete
Galway Derrynea Fieldwork Complete
Galway Keeraunbeg Fieldwork Complete
Galway Muckanaghederdauhaulia Fieldwork Complete
Galway Ballynahown North Fieldwork Complete
Galway Cartronlahan Fieldwork Complete
Galway Inveran Fieldwork Complete
Galway Knockadoagh Fieldwork Complete
Galway Minna Fieldwork Complete
Galway Minna Fieldwork Complete
Galway Tully Fieldwork Complete
Galway Bovroughaun Fieldwork Complete
Galway Cornarona Fieldwork Complete
Galway Loughaunbeg Fieldwork Complete
Galway Shannapheasteen Fieldwork Complete
Galway Shannapheasteen Fieldwork Complete
Galway Shannapheasteen Fieldwork Complete
Galway Boliska Eighter
Galway Killagoola Fieldwork Complete
Galway Newtown Fieldwork Complete
Galway Oghery Fieldwork Complete
Galway Billymore Or Carrowntober Fieldwork Complete
Galway Cloghermore Fieldwork Complete
Galway Cloghermore Fieldwork Complete
Galway Lettercraffroe Fieldwork Complete
Galway Maghera More Fieldwork Complete
Galway Rushveala Fieldwork Complete
Galway Shannadullaghaun Fieldwork Complete
Galway  Callownamuck
Galway Gortacarnaun Fieldwork Complete
Galway Ower
Galway  Derryloughan East 
Galway Coldwood Or Foorkill Fieldwork Complete
Galway  Turloughmore Common Fieldwork Complete
Galway Addergoole Fieldwork Complete
Galway Annaghdown Fieldwork Complete
Galway Barranny Fieldwork Complete
Galway Coteenty Fieldwork Complete
Galway Coteenty Fieldwork Complete
Galway Beagh More Fieldwork Complete
Galway Big Island Fieldwork Complete
Galway Cloghaun Fieldwork Complete
Galway Kilbeg Fieldwork Complete
Galway Gortnagleav Fieldwork Complete
Galway Kilnagappagh Fieldwork Complete
Galway Cullenagh Fieldwork Complete
Galway Cullenagh Fieldwork Complete
Galway Derrybrien East Fieldwork Complete
Galway Derrybrien East Fieldwork Complete
Galway Knockauncarragh Fieldwork Complete
Galway Keelderry Fieldwork Complete
Galway Carrigeen East Fieldwork Complete
Galway Carrigeen West Fieldwork Complete
Mayo Glencally Fieldwork Complete
Mayo Erriff Fieldwork Complete
Mayo Letterass Fieldwork Complete
Mayo Lettermaglinskin Fieldwork Complete
Wicklow Brockagh Fieldwork Complete
Wicklow  Seven Churches Fieldwork Complete
Wicklow Cullentragh Big Fieldwork Complete
Sligo Farranaharpy
Tipperary  Curreeny

Wednesday 7 September 2016

Cork 2.0 Declaration

The original Cork Declaration was made 20 years ago, from it developed the Pillar 2 of the Common Agricultural Policy and a realisation that Direct Payments to agriculture had to go beyond the production related payments that had existed up until then. The result in Ireland was the roll out of schemes like REPS, Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, AEOS, GLAS and TAMS etc. Twenty years on from that date it was felt that this original vision needed to be updated and that a new declaration was needed to guide the development of Rural development Policies in the years ahead. 

It was for this reason that the EU Commission organised the Cork 2.0 conference on September 5th & 6th. Over 300 delegates from all 28 member states, from the EU Commission and with observers from China and the United States attended. The delegates included Farmers, Farmer Representative Organisations, Farm Advisors, Industry Representatives, Ministry of Agriculture Officals, Diplomats and Politicians. I was delighted to be asked to attend, I must stress that it is rare for me to be in such distinguished company.

A very significant number of delegates were from the UK and they made a considerable contribution, Brexit was hardly mentioned even by the UKIP MEP Stuart Agnew, although his opinions on addressing the causes of climate change as opposed to adapting to the impacts of Climate change did not engender much in the way of support. That aside the gathering was workmanlike, positive and productive. 

It would be impossible for me to address all of the many issues that were discussed at the conference but  some of the points that stood out for me include;


  • The need to add value rather that just quantity  to production systmens
  • The need to reconnect the consumer particularly the urban consumer with the food producer,
  • The value of the public goods produced by farmers, e.g. biodiversity, landscape resilience should be considered in the development of RDP policy.
  • Financial Instruments to support RDP policy, particularly the use of loan guarantees and subsidised interest rates as a support mechanism for rural development is likely to grow considerably in the future.
  • That overall funding in the future will be less, but that it should be better focused and that bottom up initiatives and results based programs are the way ahead. My reading of this is that capital schemes like TAMS could well be replaced with low interest loans and that catch all schemes like GLAS have had their day but we will wait and see.  


My overall impression was positive but I believe the next CAP will be very different and that every one involved in agriculture or in rural development will have to adapt to a radical change in policy direction. There will be new opportunities and some of them may well be far better than those that currently exist but I would temper this with a warning that there will be losers as well as winners. 


You can read the entire declaration by following the link below. 



http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/events/2016/rural-development/cork-declaration-2-0_en.pdf



Fergal Monaghan