Vol. 559 No. 2
89 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a board has been set up to deal with appeals to the commonage framework proposals; if so, the persons who are on the board; the terms of reference of the board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25686/02]
Together with my colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, I recently announced the arrangements under which farmers with commonage could appeal the destocking percentages recommended in the commonage framework plans.
The commonage framework plans are expert assessments of the environmental status of commonages and include recommendations, where necessary, for reductions in sheep numbers to allow vegetation to recover from the effects of overgrazing. Each plan was drawn up by an approved team consisting of an agriculturalist and an environmentalist, under the joint supervision of the Department of Agriculture and Food and Dúchas, the Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment and Local Government.
The appeals mechanism will offer farmers an opportunity to have a second assessment of commonages by other experts. The results of this reassessment will be considered by my Department and Dúchas, who will either accept them or refer them to an appeals committee made up of two representatives of the farming bodies and two from environmental organisations under the chairmanship of Mr. Gerry Scully, chief sheep adviser with Teagasc. The appeals committee will then make a recommendation to the Ministers.
Each re-assessment will be carried out by an approved framework planning team other than the team that did the initial assessment, and Dúchas will contribute up to €1,300 towards the cost. One appeal may be made against each framework plan and will require the support of at least 20% of the commonage shareholders covered by that plan who have claimed area aid. For framework plans already published, appeals must be lodged before 28 February 2003. In all other cases an appeal must be submitted within three months of the publication of the framework plan.
