Major announcement on GLAS will be of big interest to Donegal farmers

Further details about how farmers can continue their participation in GLAS for 2022 have been revealed today.

Farmers with GLAS 1, 2 or 3 contracts which will expire on 31st December 2021 are being offered an extension of one year (i.e. to 31 December 2022)

Referring to his statement following Budget 2022 about the maintenance of crucial farm schemes, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said:  “My Department has now issued information packs to current active participants in the Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme (GLAS), including an offer to extend their GLAS contracts and the ways in which they may apply by the deadline of December 10, 2021.  

“The process will be similar to that undertaken last year. I was encouraged to see the number of participants who extended their GLAS contracts for this year, as it meant that the provision of environmental benefits continued to accrue during the transitional period before the new CAP while farmers also had continuity of income. Some €200m is paid out annually to GLAS participants so the continued availability of such payments to farmers is of huge importance.

"Securing these crucial farm payments was a key priority of mine. It was important to deliver income security to these farmers in GLAS as we transition between CAP programmes."

The Minister concluded by saying that, as an extension is being offered for a number of schemes, the Department is proposing to issue offers on a sequential basis, adding “My Department has endeavoured to make the process to extend as straightforward as possible, with a few options available for submission of application. A key point is that actions undertaken under GLAS continue on 1st January 2022 so farmers may now wish to consider whether to avail of the offer and be in position to reply upon receipt of offer”.