Large numbers of Irish farmers have dropped out of the State's most environmentally important scheme, the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS).
Ten thousand farmers who took part in the first REPS scheme, under which they agreed to farm in an environmentally sensitive manner for a five-year period, have not rejoined.
Only 35,000 have signed up to the new scheme, which delivers up to €6,000 annually under the contract, which has had a major impact on the quality of the environment across the State.
At the end of the the first REPS scheme, introduced by Mr Ray MacSharry when commissioner for agriculture and rural development, 45,000 farmers had joined up.
Ireland had been used as a model for the rest of the EU, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development had predicted that as many as 70,000 farmers would join the scheme, which is largely funded by the EU as part of the rural development plan.
However, according to the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), unless there are radical readjustments, farmers will refuse to join, and the €2 billion of EU and national funding put in place for 2000-2006 will be grossly underspent.
Mr Gerry Gunning of the IFA said the cost of joining the scheme and remaining in it by hiring consultants was too high.
He said the IFA was calling for the immediate implementation of the review of the new scheme, which was promised by the Minister of State with responsibility for the area, Mr Eamon O'Cuiv.