Over 900 Offaly farmers affected by closure of REPS scheme

The planned closure of an environmental protection scheme has come as a significant blow to more than 900 farmers in Offaly. Last week, the government announced that the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS) would be closed to new applicants. There have been protests outside government offices in the aftermath of this move, which Offaly TD Olwyn Enright said would drive thousands of farmers onto social welfare. The REPS scheme has been in place in various guises over the years, the most recent of which is REPS 4. Offaly farmers with five-year REPS 4 contracts will continue to receive payments until their contracts expire, and applications sent in by farmers before last week"s announcement will continue to be processed as normal. However last week"s announcement means that no further applications for REPS 4 will be accepted, a move the Department said would primarily affect farmers in REPS 3 with contracts ending in 2010 and 2011. There are 293 Offaly farmers with REPS 3 contracts finishing in 2010 and 637 in the county with contracts finishing in 2011. 'Although REPS 4 is now closed to new entrants, those who are coming to the end of their five year contracts will, from 2010, be eligible for a new agri-environment scheme,' Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith said last week. 'Contrary to some misinformed commentary, REPS is not being abolished and payments will remain for the next five years.' The new agri-environment scheme mentioned by the Minister is due to be funded by Modulation and the European Economic Recovery Programme (EERP), and it must first be approved by the European Commission.Commenting on the closure of REPS 4 to new applicants, Offaly TD Olwyn Enright said the move represented a 'false economy' on the part of the government. 'REPS represents an average of up to €8,500 a year for individual farmers. Closing the scheme to new entrants on a purely arbitrary basis will push many farmers below the poverty line and on to the farm assist programme.' 'It"s worth noting that the farm assist programme is funded entirely by the Irish Exchequer, while the European Union contributes 75% of the cost of the REPS programme,' she added. Edenderry councillor Eddie Fitzpatrick also criticised the decision and called on the government to reconsider it. 'If the proposed cuts are implemented at a time when farm incomes are at an all time low we will see the demise of farming in this country and I can assure the government that this will have adverse effect on the support that farmers will give to the Lisbon treaty re-run in October,' said Cllr Fitzpatrick.