Participating farmers can draw from two payment streams:
1. Results-based payment
This payment is based on the sum of habitat and floodplain quality, with an adjustment made depending on whole-farm result.
2. Supporting Actions Payment
For farm measures completed by the farmer aimed at improving habitat quality and reducing risk of impacts on downstream watercourses.
Results-based payment
Habitat quality payment
Where a plot scores 0 to 3, this will not receive a payment, regardless of area.
The payment scale increases in varying steps between a score of 4 and 10.
Habitat quality payment rates
Payment rates decline across three bands as participant area increases as follows: 0-30ha, >30-70ha, and >70ha.
In calculating results-based payments, the lowest scoring lands will be paid at the highest rate. This adds a strong incentive to improve lower scoring lands as any increase in habitat quality (score) will be paid at the highest rate. The same payment rates apply to private lands and commonage lands. In the case of commonages, the payment bands are applied at the LPIS parcel level.
A score of 8 out of 10 represents high quality habitat which is likely to make a significant contribution towards watercourses that support freshwater pearl mussel populations.
Most plots can progressively increase their environmental score and associated payment over the lifetime of the Programme.
Floodplain payment
This payment rewards farmers for maintaining floodplains and riparian habitats along freshwater pearl mussel rivers (see www.PearlMusselProject.ie for maps), which provides important ecosystem services.
Payment rates vary according to habitat quality, as indicated by average habitat quality score of relevant plots, and are paid across three bands related to floodplain river bank length. Payment rates across the three payment bands are shown in the table below:
This payment relates only to farmers with plots that occur along the main river channels with freshwater pearl mussel habitat. Where a participant or commonage has multiple plots along the river, an average score of all plots will be used. This payment will be added to the farmer’s gross payment, which will then be subject to an adjustment based on the outcome of the whole-farm assessment.
Whole-farm payment adjustment
Once the whole farm score is determined, a corresponding correction factor is applied to the total overall results-based payment as outlined below.
In the case of commonage parcels, a modified ‘whole-farm assessment’ will be completed. This is called the Commonage Unit Assessment.
