7 days ago
Amendments Made to Gaec 2 Appeals Form Ifa
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) said amendments have been made to the appeals process for the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition 2 (GAEC 2).
IFA Rural Development Committee chair John Curran said that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) made changes to the application forms after concerns were raised earlier this week.
GAEC 2 is the conditionality standard of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) related to the protection of peatlands and wetlands.
It formally entered into force on May 1, which means that any works carried out before that date do not come under the scope of the condition.
Under the condition, the maintenance of an existing drain is permitted and replacement is acceptable.
However, new drainage on never-drained parcels of land will require planning permission or an exemption from the local authority, as is currently the case under national legislation.
Curran had initially said the form appeared to "infer that appeals are restricted to those who plan new drainage works in 2025, with signed declarations and evidence of planned drainage works required to accompany applications".
However, following the amendments, he said that it is "now clear that all farmers have the opportunity to appeal the indicative GAEC 2 status of individual parcels".
He added that soil samples, geo-tagged photos and a planner's report are the core information requirements.
'Ensuring all farmers are given the opportunity to appeal the GAEC 2 status of individual parcels is essential.
"We've been getting calls from farmers since indicative GAEC 2 maps were released saying there is no way individual parcels were GAEC 2 land.
"They now have a chance to appeal the inclusion of these parcels,' he said.
'The clarification also makes the need for signed declarations/proof of drainage works obsolete.
"These requirements should be removed from appeal application requirements. There is no closing date for appeals,' Curran added.
