Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 23 Jun 1994

Vol. 444 No. 3

Written Answers. - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.

Peadar Clohessy

Question:

16 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the measures, if any, he proposes to adopt to ensure that the rural environmental protection scheme (REPS) will deal effectively with the problem of over-grazing of hill land.

Martin Cullen

Question:

17 Mr. Cullen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the measures, if any, he proposes to adopt to ensure that the rural environmental protection scheme (REPS) will deal effectively with the problem of over-grazing of hill land.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. J. Walsh)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 17 together.

The rural environment protection scheme (REPS) is open to any farmer in the country who wishes to avail of it. The scheme offers an attractive annual grant for five years of £122 per hectare up to a maximum of 40 hectares to farmers who carry out a range of environmentally friendly farming practices including avoiding overgrazing of land.

In addition, in areas designated as degraded it is a mandatory requirement for participants in REPS who have a ewe quota not to graze commonage lands during the period 1 November to 30 April. Extra financial incentives are available in such cases involving either additional payments per hectare or specific payments related to reductions in stock numbers. Moreover, as a further measure aimed at rejuvenating those designated areas, non-participants in REPS who wish to acquire additional sheep quota rights will be required to give an undertaking to remove all their sheep from these areas during the period mentioned i.e. 1 November to 30 April.

I propose to publicise the REPS widely and to this end an information booklet on the scheme is now available and a series of public meetings will be held at various venues around the country during July. In addition, training courses will be available later in the year for participating farmers, who will be paid £100 on completion of the 20 hour course.

I am closely monitoring the implementation of this scheme and I intend to review its operation at the earliest appropriate time in order to assess the degree to which it meets its objectives, including that of tackling effectively the problem of over-grazing in certain areas.