Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 5 May 1999

Vol. 504 No. 2

Written Answers. - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.

Paul Connaughton

Ceist:

161 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason his Department's inspectors are refusing to take account and recognise the positive impact of sheep housing in determining the level of sustainable stocking which can be maintained by hill sheep producers under the new enhanced REP scheme in designated hill sheep commonage mountain areas. [11652/99]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh):

The new supplementary measure A of the REP scheme approved by the EU Commission requires that each commonage shareholder be allocated a grazing entitlement pro rata to his or her active share entitlement of the commonage. In the circumstances it is not possible to take account of sheep housing when determining the appropriate stocking level for each shareholder on a commonage.