The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ISCA), Rural Development chair Edmond Phelan has cautiously welcomed recommendations from the Independent Advisory Committee on Nature Restoration.

The recommendations called for a dedicated funding stream to meet Ireland's obligations under the Nature Restoration Law.

Edmond Phelan said: “This is a welcome development and reflects what ICSA has been saying for some time that nature restoration cannot and must not be funded out of the existing CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] budget."

Phelan stressed that farmers are already under enough pressure and CAP is there to support food production and farm incomes.

He said nature restoration will only succeed if it is backed by new additional and ringfenced funding that is guaranteed for the long term and is open-ended.

The ICSA has said that anything less than secure, open-ended funding would fail to give farmers the confidence needed to engage.

“Nature restoration is not a short-term scheme. It involves permanent or long-lasting changes to how land is farmed," Phelan continued.

"Farmers will not sign up to that level of change based on short-term schemes or vague promises."

The farm organisation has called for funding to match the scale and long-term nature of what is being asked of farmers, with a clear and workable exit option.

Phelan said that while the report contains assurances that participation will be voluntary, many farmers will stay unconvinced.

“Farmers have heard these assurances before," Phelan added.

"What is needed now are cast iron guarantees that participation will be voluntary in practice, not just in principle, and that farmers will not face pressure or penalties down the line if targets are not met.”

He also welcomed the committee's recommendations that the state should take a leading role in delivering nature restoration on publicly-owned land.