There are no requirements of the nature outlined by the Deputy for area aid participants. However, farmers are required to provide evidence of their entitlement to use all commonage lands claimed for area aid purposes.
There are, however, controls on the use of commonages under the REP scheme. A new supplementary measure – supplementary measure A – has been introduced under the REP scheme to address, among other things, the problem of overgrazing of commonages. Under this measure farmers are given enhanced compensation to follow an agri-environmental plan which may include a reduction in the stocking levels on some commonages.
In the discussions leading up to the approval of supplementary measure A the European Commission insisted that commonage shareholders could not use other shareholders' commonage rights. This precluded the use of leased commonage as eligible land under the scheme. However, as a concession to existing participants in the scheme who receive REP scheme payments in respect of leased commonage, these farmers may continue with their current agreement subject to amending their REPS plans to comply with the stocking provisions of supplementary measure A.
In recognition of the fact that the REP scheme might not be appropriate to cover all cases where farmers require compensation following an agri-environmental plan, another scheme of compensation from national funds is being drafted by my colleague the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands.