The first year of the new eco scheme proved popular with farmers with approximately €309m paid to 118,704 participants. This equates to almost 98% of applicants who opted for the measure.

The funding in the CAP beneficiaries publication comes under the heading of schemes for the environment and the climate (CSP).

The Department of Agriculture listed the aim of the voluntary scheme as “to reward farmers, from all farming sectors and from different levels of intensity, for undertaking actions that are beneficial to the climate, environment, water quality and biodiversity”.

Its popularity was boosted by the fact that for many farmers to have any hope of retaining payments lost through convergence and the new CSP programme they simply had to apply with the scheme accounting for 25% of the previous pillar one budget.

The fact that upwards of 90% of farmers satisfied the requirements via the space for nature measure was also a significant incentive with Ireland’s participation rate ahead of many other EU member states.

Payment rates

Most payments under the scheme are on the relatively small side with the payment rate set at €67/ha and the average payment at over €2,600 per holding. However, the fact that there was no upper limit on the payment means that there was also some very large holdings recording significant payments with one payment for Godolphin Ireland Limited topping €105,000 and three more exceeding the €80,000 mark. This includes the Coolmore-linked company Macquarie Limited, Tipperary (€96,544.99), Hans Weirner Meis, Galway (€86,413.25) and Cloghoge Uplands Ltd, Wicklow (€82,943.99).