Minister Hackett welcomes half million bonus payment to Hen Harrier Farmers Says 996 farmers involved are true ‘farmers for nature’
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Senator Pippa Hackett has welcomed the news that 996 farmers have this week shared nearly half a million euro in Hen Harrier bonus payments. The payments were made under the €25 million Hen Harrier scheme funded by the Minister’s Department under the Rural Development Programme.
The bonus payments, totalling €483,927 are in recognition of these farmers’ success in delivering habitats for Hen Harriers and other wildlife and they qualify for the bonus based on how well Hen Harriers are doing in their area
A hen harrier flying low over the ground searching for a meal.
Almost 1,000 farmers in the €25m Hen Harrier scheme are to receive bonus payments totalling nearly €500,000.
The bonus payments are in recognition of these farmers’ success in delivering habitats for Hen Harriers and other wildlife. Farmers qualify for the bonus based on how well Hen Harriers are doing in their area.
Announcing the payments, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Senator Pippa Hackett said: “In a week dominated by reports of fires in our upland areas, it is a relief to get some good news.
Results-based
“I am delighted to see these results-based payments being made to farmers who have ensured that the Hen Harrier population in Special Protection Areas have reached their objectives.
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Over the past few days we have witnessed what Infrastructure Malta has been up to in Dingli. Infrastructure Malta, or more likely ‘Destruction Malta’, continued butchering trees, some of which were 300 years old, taking away farmer’s fields and putting a medieval chapel in danger.
This is only the latest episode, because lately we have seen ‘Destruction Malta’ being responsible for similar atrocities in Żebbuġ, San Ġwann and close to the Victoria Lines in Mosta.
At this stage, one asks: has IM been vested with the legal power to send the bulldozers first and expropriate the land later? In a nutshell, a government entity which is supposed to ensure that our environment is protected, is doing the opposite and has become a main protagonist in environmental devastation.
The A5 improvement scheme has been delayed again after Infrastructure Minister Nicola Mallon said today further public consultation will be necessary to ensure it progresses.
Sinn Fein have criticised the delay, but the SDLP says it’s a necessary evil to ensure the scheme progresses.
It follows publication today of the Planning Appeals Commission report into the scheme.
Minister Nicola Mallon says she has accepted the Commission’s key recommendation that further consultation take place on the topics of flood risk, and the consideration of alternatives to the proposed scheme.
She has now asked officials to prepare a further addendum to the Environmental Statement for consultation in early autumn.