The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been called on to "immediately clarify" which lands will be subject to further restrictions under the implementation of a new conditionality measure under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS).

When announcing the opening of BISS earlier this month, the department highlighted changes around some Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs).

GAEC 2 (protecting peatlands and wetlands) will be applicable in 2025. Applicants impacted by this GAEC will be notified in due course of the land parcels affected and the obligations applying to those land parcels, the department said.

GAEC 2 is a baseline minimum requirement to protect carbon rich soils. In Ireland, the grass-based system already provides considerable protection for such soils and they are also protected by existing national planning provisions, for example on drainage.

In announcing the BISS opening date, the department said that the introduction of this standard is expected to have minimal impact on farmer’s day-to-day operations.

However, Ireland South MEP Michael McNamara said that department must "immediately clarify which lands will be subject to further restrictions under the implementation of GAEC 2 measures".

"Despite the lack of clarity on the land parcels on which appropriate minimum standards will apply - including 'a ban on ploughing, or the use of minimum tillage [min till]/no tillage [no till] cultivation technique', according to Ireland's Common Agricultural Policy [CAP] Strategic Plan - the department has launched the [BISS] for applications," McNamara said.

He said that the GAEC 2 measure has been "hastily" added to the BISS conditionality before the required clarity has been provided.

The independent MEP said that the inclusion of the condition will "only add to farmers' frustrations".

"Over regulation is already causing clear irritation among farmers, as well as significant costs at farm level. Further terms and conditions to be implemented by farmers who do no know whether their lands will be subjected to additional restrictions adds considerably to the frustrations that farmers are currently feeling," he said.

McNamara said that failure to meet GAEC requirements may result in single payment scheme payments being withheld, either partially or fully.

"In practice, this means that farmers need to be even more aware than before of the legal requirements of environmental protection related to [conditionality] before they apply," he said.

"Thousands of Irish farmers could potentially be impacted and their representatives should be given further opportunities to engage with the Department of Agriculture well in advance of the closing date of a scheme that could make going about daily work even more challenging," McNamara said.