Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 November 2013
924. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the conditions that will have to be complied with by livestock farmers to receive the greening payment under the Common Agricultural Policy regime 2014-2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46572/13]
View answerThe Payment for agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and the environment, otherwise known as ‘greening’, forms an integral part of the new Direct Payment regime that will come into force in 2015. Farmers who participate in the Basic Payment Scheme must implement the three standard greening measures as follows: Crop diversification; Permanent grassland; Ecological Focus Area (EFA).
There is no obligation under ‘crop diversification’ where the arable land of the holding covers less than ten hectares. Where the arable land of the holding covers between 10 and 30 hectares, the farmer is obliged to have at least two crops of which the main crop shall not cover more than 75% of the arable land. Where the arable land of the holding covers more than 30 hectares, the farmer is obliged to have at least three crops of which the main crop shall not cover more than 75% of the arable land and the two main crops shall not cover more than 95% of the arable land.
Where there is more than 15 hectares of arable land in a holding, then at least 5% of the arable land must be allocated to Ecological Focus Area. There are a number of features which are considered Ecological Focus Area including landscape features such as hedges, ditches, trees in line or in group etc. Insofar as livestock farmers are concerned there is an obligation to ensure that the ratio of permanent grassland to total agricultural area does not decrease by more than 5% compared to a reference ratio to be established by Member States in 2015. This obligation can be monitored at National level and is therefore unlikely to affect individual livestock farmers. There is also an obligation on Member States to designate environmentally sensitive permanent grasslands, such as peat and wetlands, situated in areas covered by the Natura Directive and farmers will be prevented from ploughing such areas. It is most unlikely that such areas in Ireland would be ploughed in any event.
There are a number of exemptions whereby farmers will be considered to have fulfilled one or more of their greening obligations in certain circumstances. Of most relevance to Ireland, and to livestock farmers in particular, is the provision that exempts farms where more than 75% of the total eligible land of the holding is used for the production of grasses or other herbaceous forage or land laying fallow, or a combination of these, provided that any remaining arable area does not exceed 30 hectares. It is my intention to decide on the final shape of greening and all other issues related to the new Direct Payments system in Ireland later this year.
