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Press Releases

Glas Situation Must Be Sorted Out Immediately

It has come to my attention that farmers who are applying for Glas scheme and who have land under SAC and NHA designation are being told that they cannot sow wild bird cover unless they get clearance from the Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht. This is eroding the rights of farmers and anyone who gets refused puts them into Tier 3 and that will exclude them from the Glas scheme. What are we coming to in Ireland when farmers have to apply for permission to carry out farming activity on their own land?

The Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney needs to stop talking out of the two sides of his mouth on this issue. He said that he was giving priority to people with designated land but now the reality is that those farmers are now on the bottom rung of the ladder. This situation is totally unacceptable and I will be following up on this matter on a constant basis until a resolution is found