State’s u-turn on commonage cash is good news for Galway farmers
INSPECTION findings carried out on two commonages in the Slieve Aughty region of South Galway – vastly reducing the areas that could be claimed on – are to be discarded, following legal exchanges between the Department of Agriculture and the farmers involved.
According to the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA), the Department has now made a major U-turn on two of the main Slieve Aughty commonages.
In one of the commonages, the inspections had resulted in a 55% reduction of eligible land for grant aid from 1,090 hectares to 476 hectares while in a smaller commonage there was a 64% reduction from 184 hectares to 67 hectares. Affected farmers stood to lose tens of thousands of euro in EU payments.
Colm O’Donnell of the INHFA said that last week the legal team of the shareholders received letters from the Dept. saying that the inspections findings ‘will not now apply’
However, he said, that the Dept. had not moved on the nearby Keelderry commonage, which was reduced by 87% (from 248ha to 32ha) – or on a number of other commonages around the country – that have had reduction imposed as a result of similar inspections.
“It became apparent that if the Department were to pursue the type of inspection procedure they were attempting on the Slieve Aughties, large swathes of marginal land would quite quickly become ineligible for payments going forward,” said Colm O’Donnell.
He said that the INHFA were pleased with the outcome adding that this was where the political battle on eligibility would kick-off. “We are now calling on Minister Coveney to sort out the outstanding commonage issues on the Slieve Aughties and elsewhere,” said Colm O’Donnell.
Last week, IFA President Eddie Downey said the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, must address the issue of eligible land and assist farmers by providing practical guidance before they submit their applications for 2015 BPS and other schemes.
“There is a lot of confusion around the eligible land issue. There is a responsibility on the Department to give practical guidance to farmers that avoids an over-zealous interpretation, which would unfairly penalise farmers,” said Eddie Downey.
Earlier this week, Minister Simon Coveney published a 29 page illustrated guide to ‘land eligibility and direct payment schemes’ aimed at clarifying issues relating to eligible land.
See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.