Vol. 472 No. 8
122 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry whether supports will be set in place to help people in designated environmentally sensitive areas to reach an appropriate standard in terms of pollution control before being able to qualify for the REP scheme; and if he will make a statement on the effects, if any, of the necessity of being on the REP scheme to qualify for headage premia in such areas. [24193/96]
I presume the Deputy is referring to proposed natural heritage areas (NHAs) under the rural environment protection scheme.
Considerable assistance has been provided by my Department in recent years for farmers to enable them to upgrade and improve their pollution control facilities. Under the current Operational Programme for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry 1994-99, a total of £100 million has been spent to date on grant aid for investment in pollution control facilities under the control of farm pollution scheme and the farm improvement programme. Grant aid under these programmes was allocated to farmers in all areas of the country. Additional allocations are being made to farmers under these schemes for completed works on an ongoing basis.
Under supplementary measure 1 of REPS, an additional annual payment of £12 per acre is made to farmers in proposed NHAs. This is in addition to the basic annual payment of approximately £50 per acre, subject to a maximum of 100 acres. The objective of these payments is to compensate farmers for changes in farming practices necessary in these areas to comply with the farming conditions agreed between my Department, the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, the farming organisations, Teagasc, the Agricultural Consultants' Association and the Irish Wildbird Conservancy.
In proposed NHAs it is not necessary to be in REPS to qualify for headage and premia payments.
