Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 October 2013
487. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers accepted into the new agri-environment option 3 scheme who were over the number of hectares allowed for qualification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42097/13]
View answer6,000 applicants were admitted to the AEOS 3 Scheme having been selected using pre determined criteria. Of these 4,483 applicants selecting Grey Partridge, Natura and Commonage actions were approved into the scheme. Farm size was not a qualifying criteria for applicants in this category. The remaining 1,517 applicants selected had all previously participated in REPS and had a reference area of 22.06 ha or less on their 2012 Single Payment Scheme application.
