The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., today announced a series of exciting new grants available for Irish farms under the TAMS on-farm investment scheme. The new measure will make €10m worth of grants available for energy efficiencies and renewable energy technologies, following a comprehensive review of the TAMS scheme designed to increase its focus on sustainability.     

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 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.

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 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.

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.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D., today announced that payments worth over €185.6 million under the 2018 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme and Areas of Specific Constraint (Islands) Scheme, have commenced issuing this week to almost 77,000 farmers.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., has confirmed the introduction of some temporary adjustments to the GLAS scheme for this year in response to the current fodder shortages. The measures are being introduced with effect from tomorrow, Saturday 1^st September.

The Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., today announced that he has allocated €4.25 million to a new Fodder Import Support measure. The Minister made the announcement having secured the agreement of the Minister for Finance & Public, Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe T.D.

The recently announced extension of the fertiliser and slurry spreading period has been welcomed by farm leaders, however, further “suites of measures” will be required to address fodder fears, it has been stated.

The cutting of roadside hedges is set to remain prohibited next month, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has confirmed.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., today announced that the deadline for submission of data for Farm Improvement Plans in Knowledge Transfer Groups will be extended by two weeks until 14 August, 2018. The 31 July deadline for holding meetings of KT Groups remains in place.