Jim O'Keeffe
Question:97 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position in relation to payment to farmers for agreeing to public access over their lands on walkways and otherwise. [6808/03]
Written Answers - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.
Supplementary measure 5 of the first rural environmental protection scheme provided for payments to farmers who undertook to give public access to their land for environmentally friendly leisure and sporting activities. However, there is no supplementary measure of this kind in the current REPS which commenced on 27 November 2000. Unlike the regulation governing the previous scheme, Council Regulation (EC) No. 1257/1999, under which the new REPS is implemented, includes no provision for a public access measure as part of the EU co-funded agri-environment programme. In an effort to secure the continued availability of public access as part of REPS, my Department made proposals to the European Commission for the inclusion of the measure in the new scheme as a State aid fully funded by the Exchequer. However, the Commission indicated that for legal reasons a public access measure was not admissible under the agri-environment title of the regulation, even as a State aid.
Participants in the previous REPS scheme who are currently in receipt of payment under supplementary measure 5 may continue to avail of payments under this measure until the end of their existing agreements.