Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 May 2013
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Agri-Environment Options Scheme Conditions
538. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to introduce a one year agri-environment scheme for 2014 in the event of the common agriculture policy programme 2014-2020 not commencing in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22542/13]
View answerThe European Commission EAFRD proposal for the period 2014 – 2020 is still under negotiation as are the proposed funding arrangements for the EAFRD under the Multi-annual Financial Framework. Transitional rules will be required to bridge the current and 2014-2020 programming period for rural development and this is standard practice in the case of Pillar 2 due to the multi annual nature of some of the measures.
Draft transitional rules have been proposed and will be under discussion at EU level over the coming months. One of the purposes of these rules will be to allow area based commitments undertaken under the current programme to be funded during 2014 out of the new financial envelope where the financial resources of the current programme have been exhausted. Under the current rural development Regulation agri environment commitments are undertaken as a general rule for periods of between five and seven years. There is no provision under the current Regulation for an agri environment scheme of one year’s duration which could be funded under transitional rules.
