ICSA: Uncertainty around GAEC 2 'completely unacceptable'
Ongoing uncertainty around the good agricultural and environmental condition GAEC 2 is "completely unacceptable" as the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application deadline looms, according to Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association’s (ICSA).
Sean McNamara, president of the ICSA said the current situation is also "deeply unfair to farmers" as they simply do not know where they stand.
GAEC 2– one of several GAEC rules that govern conditionality for payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – is described as a baseline requirement for the protection of carbon-rich soils, including peatlands and wetland.
McNamara said: "There has been no formal approval from the EU Commission on Ireland’s proposed approach to GAEC 2, and there is no appeals mechanism for farmers to challenge how their land has been classified - because an appeals process will not even be established until that approval is secured.
"What use is that to farmers? It is outrageous that such a fundamental issue remains unresolved at this critical time".
According to the president of the ICSA its members are worried about the future for their farms.
"The risk is that these maps, developed for CAP compliance, will be used as a back door to further restrictions under the EU Nature Restoration Law or other environmental designations down the line.
"We are constantly being told that the Nature Restoration Law will be voluntary, but there is widespread fear that if Ireland falls short on its targets, these so-called voluntary measures will suddenly become mandatory.
"If that happens, farmers rightly fear that the GAEC 2 maps will be repurposed to enforce rewetting or impose other land use restrictions in the future. This would be a total betrayal," McNamara said.
The ICSA has again voiced its concerns about mineral soils being included in GAEC 2 mapping.
“Whole land parcel identification system (LPIS) parcels have been designated using a 50% threshold for peat soil content.
"This means large areas of productive mineral soil are being unfairly caught up in GAEC 2 restrictions, limiting agricultural activity and potentially devaluing land," McNamara said.
The organisation said it is now "demanding urgent clarity".
“Farmers cannot be expected to make informed decisions about their BISS applications - or their future - without official confirmation of the rules, a functioning appeals process, and certainty about how GAEC 2 will be implemented.
"The department must move immediately to provide clarity on this issue and give clear guarantees that GAEC 2 data will not be used for any purpose beyond CAP conditionality.
"If this clarity cannot be provided in time, then a further derogation must be sought so that GAEC 2 does not come into effect until next year," the ICSA president added.
