Vol. 518 No. 6
192 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if his attention has been drawn to the terrible damage being caused to the environment by the overgrazing of sheep; the plans, if any, he has to address this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12396/00]
My Department is aware of the damage that has been caused by overgrazing by sheep particularly on commonage land in the six western counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Kerry.
To address this problem, the REP scheme was revised on 1 January 1999 to include a new supplementary measure A. This measure includes the requirement that framework plans be drawn up, under the supervision of my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands, for all commonage land. The main aim of these plans will be to set sustainable stocking levels which will allow for the regeneration of damaged vegetation. Work on the preparation of commonage framework plans is now well advanced.
Pending the completion of the commonage framework plans, my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands have put an interim national commonage framework plan in place. The interim plan has involved destocking from November/December 1998 equivalent to 30% of mountain ewes for flock holders not already in the REP scheme who use commonage in the six western counties of Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Kerry, which were the counties identified as having overgrazed commonages.
When the detailed commonage framework plans are completed it will be a condition of the headage and premium schemes that farmers with commonage land must be participating in an approved REPS plan or a national agri-environment plan to be operated by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands.
