AS fears continue to grow over the potential introduction of a regulation that could exclude thousands of farmers from getting their CAP payments, Colm O’Donnell, president of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) ,has penned an open letter to Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue.
Signed by Colm O’Donnell on behalf of the INHFA, it reads:
Dear Minister McConalogue,
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As President of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA), I am writing to you on behalf of farmers that operate on carbon-rich soils ie our farmed wetlands and peatlands.
Under proposals in the new CAP Programme, farmers operating on these lands will be required to comply with a new Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition Standard 2 (GAEC 2) that threatens the agricultural status of their lands.