IT is always interesting to note the way in which other EU countries devise schemes to improve rural development – and more importantly how they fund/reward farmers for taking part.
Ireland is usually a good place to start, both north and south.
Current thinking by our industry leaders seem to be that headage payments have had their day and should be avoided at all costs. Well, they think the opposite in the Republic of Ireland!
Almost three years of hard lobbying by industry organisations has resulted in a €25m sheep headage scheme which could be worth circa €20 per ewe. This deal was agreed by the Irish Parliament in its recent budget.
Closer to home, in Northern Ireland, a £40m Farm Business Improvement Scheme has just been launched offering capital grants.
There are two tiers to this scheme. The lower scale intends to support farm investment projects between £5000 and £30,000, while the second ‘transformational’ scheme offers grants up to £250,000 for construction projects and higher value equipment.
Historically, Ireland has usually got the support schemes spot on!