Supplementary measure A of the revised REP scheme requires that an agri-environmental framework plan be drawn up for each commonage and shall include the following elements: establishment of a grazing regime, including environmental stocking levels for the total area of the commonage; an overall grassland management plan, and measures for habitat protection.
The problem of overgrazing by sheep, which causes a degree of environmental degradation, is particularly acute on areas of commonage land. The commonage framework plans will set the stocking levels for each commonage in order to allow the regeneration of any degraded commonage.
Where the number of sheep on any commonage is in excess of the level set in the framework plan the commonage will have to be destocked to bring it to that level. The reduction in sheep numbers for each active shareholder on a commonage will be based on the percentage reduction in numbers required for each commonage, the commonage entitlement of the shareholder and the amount of non-commonage land grazed by the shareholder. This is the most equitable way in which to bring sheep numbers on commonages to levels which will allow degraded commonages to be regenerated.
