Following a review of the Programme, informed partly by farmer feedback, we have revised our payment structure for 2020.
The main changes include:
1. Payment bands have been consolidated into three new bands (Band A: 0-30ha, Band B: 30-70ha, and Band C: >70ha). The effect of this change is that the highest payment rates will be available to the first 30ha of land rather than 15ha, as was the case on 2019.
2. Minor change to the payment rates across each band. Then most significant change is the higher payments available for habitat quality scores of 7.
3. The potential floodplain payment is now available to all farmers with land along the main freshwater pearl mussel rivers as a recognition of the importance of these lands in sustaining high water quality within the rivers. The payment is related to habitat quality (higher quality = higher payment) and the contribution the lands make towards supporting freshwater pearl mussel.
The effect of making the changes will increase the annual results-based payment for most participant farmers in 2020 onwards. The new payment rates will better reward farmers for providing environmental benefits and will create a greater incentive for farmers to improve the environmental quality of their farms.
You can see full details in the Pearl Mussel Programme - Terms & Conditions Update (June 2020)
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