Vol. 497 No. 3
37 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the latest position regarding the legal proceedings being taken by the EU against this country as a result of damage occurring to natural habitats by overgrazing; the defence offered by Ireland; the steps, if any, being taken to deal with damage caused by overgrazing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24784/98]
The European Commission issued a reasoned opinion against Ireland addressing the negative impact of sheep overgrazing on the Owenduff/Nephin Beg Complex special protection area, as well as the negative impact of sheep overgrazing on the habitats of the red grouse, a resident wild bird species, protected under the Birds Directive. This step precedes the institution of legal proceedings. My Department has responded to the reasoned opinion.
It is accepted that sheep overgrazing has caused damage to some habitats covered by the directive. However, it is a problem mainly confined to mountain commonage lands, that is uplands held in common, but not equal, ownership by several individuals.
Commonages with overgrazed land have been designated as such by my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Walsh. The degree of overgrazing varies significantly from commonage to commonage and within individual commonages themselves. It is estimated that the overall area of commonages where overgrazing has occurred amounts to some 60,000 hectares.
As there is considerable variation in the extent and nature of the problem in the different commonages, I have agreed with the Minister for Agriculture and Food to arrange for the preparation of individual commonage framework plans which will set out a sustainable stocking density on a commonage basis.
Agricultural and environmental consultants preparing farm plans for participants in the rural environment protection scheme, administered by the Department of Agriculture and Food, will be obliged to implement the stocking levels set out in the commonage framework plans in the individual farm plans. Farmers in ecologically sensitive areas, special protection areas, proposed candidate special areas of conservation, SACs, and proposed natural heritage areas will be required to participate in the REP scheme or to farm in accordance with an agri-environmental plan prepared by Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department.
Commonage framework plans for each individual commonage are likely to take some time to prepare. In the interim for 1999, the Department of Agriculture and Food in conjunction with my Department is implementing measure A of the rural environment protection scheme, with a reduction of mountain ewe quota premiums of 30 per cent of 1998 levels pending the introduction of the individual plans. As the individual commonage framework plans are completed they will replace this interim arrangement. Headage and premia will not be paid in the affected areas unless landowners are in compliance with these requirements.
In tandem with these agri-environmental measures Dúchas has pursued an extensive land acquisition programme in the Owenduff-Nephin Beg area and now owns just under 10,000 hectares of land in the complex. In July this year I announced that these lands would be declared a national park. These measures of themselves will have a positive impact on the habitats of the site as grazing on these lands will only be permitted at sustainable levels.
