Vol. 502 No. 1
132 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if grazing rights held in fee simple by many farmers in County Wicklow can be included in the REP scheme; and the development, if any, there has been in this area. [7421/99]
The new agri-environmental specifications set out the conditions under which grazing rights are eligible for inclusion in the rural environment protection scheme. The specification is currently with the printers and will be available in the near future.
The general conditions of the new specification provide: grazing rights are eligible for inclusion in REPS where documentary evidence of entitlement to such rights is provided, viz: rights registered on Land Registry folio; Land Commission Vesting Order; certified copy relevant estate papers from Land Commission records; grant by the freehold legal owner; grazing trust deed; grant of deed by original estate landlord; and other such acceptable documentary evidence of entitlement to such rights as may satisfy the Minister.
The following must also be provided: details as submitted with area aid application and a sworn affidavit setting out the hectarage of grazing rights entitlement together with a signed map, to include a list of names of the other rights holders, outlining the boundaries of same.
Additional to the general conditions where the grazing rights are on commonage land the following is the position: farmers or successors in title who own commonage shares and-or grazing rights who declared the commonage and-or grazing rights for area aid in 1997 or 1998 and either applied for livestock premia-headage in 1997 or 1998 are eligible for payment under Supplementary Measure A (Conservation of Natural Heritage). Those with less than 15 livestock units who have not made an area aid application and who provide evidence acceptable to the Minister that in 1997 or 1998 they farmed the commonage and-or grazing rights and either held quota rights or applied for livestock premia-headage are also eligible.
