Beverley Flynn
Question:69 Ms Cooper-Flynn asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will qualify for the REP scheme in view of the fact his father has signed over the farm to him. [9661/99]
Written Answers. - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.
Each application to join the rural environment protection scheme is assessed on its own merits and without knowing the full background to the case it is not possible to say if the person would be eligible for the REP scheme.
In general where a farm consists of both private land and commonage the position is that the private land would be eligible for the scheme but commonage land is only eligible where farmers or successors in title who own commonage shares and/or grazing rights declared commonage and/or grazing rights for area aid in 1997 or 1998 and either applied for livestock premia/headage in 1997 or 1998 or held quota rights in either of these two years. Commonage land owned by farmers 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 commonage and/or grazing rights and either held quota rights or applied for livestock premia/headage is also eligible.