Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 December 2010
22 Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the scheme of compensation available to farmers who are forced to destock in the Twelve Bens area of Connemara and the Nephin range in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45198/10]
View answerAs a result of a review carried out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, additional destocking measures were introduced in the Twelve Bens and the Nephin range. Farmers who comply with these additional measures and who are participants in an agri-environment scheme i.e. the NPWS Farm Plan Scheme or the Rural Environment Protection Scheme or the Agri-Environment Options Scheme, are eligible for a compensation payment from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
Farmers who have finished their REPS 3 contract and are not currently in an agri-environment scheme have been advised by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government that they will continue to receive the compensation payment, provided that they continue to comply with the conditions imposed under the review and commit to applying for any agri-environment scheme which becomes available to them. These payments will continue until the 31 October, 2011 in the case of the Nephin range and until 31 October, 2013 for farmers in the Twelve Bens.
