Programme for Government

Some main points from the Programme for Government:

• Seeks reforms to the CAP rewarding farmers for sequestering carbon, restoring biodiversity and improving water and air quality, producing clean energy and developing schemes supporting result-based outcomes.
• On farm investment supports, producer groups, animal welfare measures and marketing tools such as Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) status.
• Invest in farm safety and wellbeing under the next CAP.

Farm incomes and sectoral supports:

• Enhance incomes of family farms as a key objective by delivering on climate change objectives and biodiversity objectives and producing world-class quality food.
• Build upon schemes such as Area of Natural Constraint, Knowledge Transfer, Sheep Welfare Scheme, Beef Data and Genomics Programme and Beef Environmental Efficiency Scheme.
• Conduct a review of the means test disregards for Farm Assist to better reward farmers availing of the scheme.

Beef:

• Ensuring the Beef Market Taskforce implements the agreement with stakeholders in the beef sector as well as greater transparency in the supply chain - from farm to fork.
• Challenges supported in the next CAP.
• Prioritise funds for the promotion of beef in key markets through Bord Bia.

Dairy:

• Encourage investment in renewable infrastructure on farms to reduce energy costs.
• Consider further taxation measures to manage market volitility.

Sheep:

• Further export opportunities.
• Review potential demand in domestic and international markets for wool based products such as insulation and fertilisers.

Pigs:

• Support farms through on-farm investment under the next CAP, focusing in energy efficiency, biosecurity and animal welfare.
• Work with stakeholders on new markets.
• Prevention of threats on animal health.

Poultry:

• Support further investment in this sector.

Tillage:

• Work with Tillage farmers in the context of CAP and developing on Foodwise 2025 within 6 months of Government formation.

Young Farmers:

• Encouraging generational change and land mobility to young, educated and trained farmers.
• Prioritise access to entitlements for young trained farmers under the National Reserve.
• Examine how other countries have supported and encourged young farmers into the sector.

Climate and Biodiversity:

• Farm survey to inform future policy development.
• National Pollinator plan to be introduced to encourage public bodies to prpmote bidoversity.
• Complete a national hedgegrow survey.
• Incentivise re-wetting of carbon rich soils.
• Implementation of the National Policy Statement on the bioeconomy.
• Develop new opportunities for farmers from anerobic digestion.
• Develop climate action 'signpost farms' for on-farm experience of the benefits of farming sustainably.
• Direct Carbon Tax proceeds to climate focused measures in the agri-food sector.
• Establish energy efficient farming scheme including grant subsidies for onsite renewable energy options and promotion of energy efficient technology for farms.
• Expand prgrammes to improve water quality.
• Implement climate adaptation plan.
• Provide supports to farmers practising reducing pesticide use.

Flagship Environmental Scheme:

User friendly scheme under CAP aliging finacial support with cliamte, forestry and land use objectives which will be complimented by an ambitious ECO-scheme under Pillar 1 of the CAP.

During transition period an agri-environment scheme will introduced which will include farmers not currently in GLAS who previously particpated in AEOS and those exiting GLAS.

Land Use, Nutrient Management and Soil Health:

• Reduce inorganic fertiliser use through to 2030..
• Publish a National Soils Strategy.
• National liming programme to improve nitrogen use efficiency.
• Encourage urea.
• Invest in research and innovation in areas such as feed additives and protected nitrogen.
• Publish a roadmap with specific targets and actions on these measures within first 100 days fo Government.

Organic Farming:

Ambitious new target for farming.

Forestry:

• Publish a successor forestry programme to deliver an ambitious afforestation plan reviewing grant and premium rates.
• Review forestry appeals process.
• Invest in knowledge transfer.