Thomas Lyons 
The Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has announced that the Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme (GLAS) balancing payments have begun. Over 2,831 participants in the scheme have received almost €600,000 in balancing payments, representing the final 15% of the 2022 GLAS+ payment and completing the total payment for GLAS actions undertaken in 2022.
This marks the final year of GLAS payments, as the scheme ended on December 31, 2022. Minister McConalogue praised the exceptional environmental commitments made by GLAS participants, who are rewarded with an additional annual payment of up to €2,000 in respect of 2022. The almost €600,000 payment brings the total payments made to date in respect of GLAS to over €1.36 billion. This investment will be surpassed with the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), where the Minister has secured €1.5 billion for this new flagship environmental scheme.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that payments will continue to be issued in outstanding cases on a regular basis. The GLAS Plus balancing payments by county are listed in the table below:
County | Total No. of applicants | Total net payment
Carlow | 32 | €18,000
Cavan | 326 | €853,000
Clare | 372 | €89,499
Cork | 321 | €77,207
Donegal | 269 | €57,491
Dublin | 13 | €0
Galway | 309 | €52,991
Kerry | 514 | €110,953
Kildare | 12 | €95
Kilkenny | 25 | €02
Laois | 31 | €7,640
Leitrim | 88 | €19,394
Limerick | 196 | €49,002
Longford | 45 | €1,919
Mayo | 335 | €45,563
Meath | 13 | €0
Monaghan | 102 | €36,036
Offaly | 42 | €9,806
Roscommon | 25 | €4,130
Sligo | 51 | €10,093
Tipperary | 123 | €30,728
Waterford | 42 | €9,391
Westmeath | 10 | €2,141
Wexford | 24 | €4,964
Wicklow | 25 | €3,493
Grand total | 2,831 | €595,551
The Minister’s announcement of the GLAS+ balancing payments comes as a welcome relief to farmers who have been hit hard by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The payments will provide much-needed financial support to farmers who have made significant environmental commitments through the GLAS scheme.
The GLAS scheme was introduced in 2015 to promote environmentally friendly farming practices. It provides financial support to farmers who undertake specific actions to improve the biodiversity and environmental sustainability of their farms. The scheme has been a great success, with over 50,000 farmers participating in the scheme since its inception.
The ACRES scheme, which is set to replace GLAS, was announced in the 2022 budget. The scheme aims to promote sustainable farming practices and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector. Under the scheme, farmers will be encouraged to adopt environmentally friendly practices, such as planting hedgerows, improving soil health, and reducing the use of chemical fertilisers.
The Minister has stated that the ACRES scheme will be a flagship environmental scheme for Ireland and will provide significant financial support to farmers who undertake environmentally friendly practices. The scheme is set to commence in 2023, and it is hoped that it will build on the success of the GLAS scheme in promoting sustainable farming practices and improving the environmental sustainability of Ireland’s agricultural sector.
