Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 November 2013
204. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if farmers who own commonage but do not actively farm the commonage, but farm their enclosed land will be eligible for the single farm payment on either or both of their commonage and enclosed land under the new Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47549/13]
View answer205. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it is sufficient for a farmer with commonage land to ensure that this land is maintained in good agricultural and environmental condition in order to be eligible for the single farm payment; if under the new Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020, farmers with commonage will be required to maintain stock on the commonage; if so, the reason for this provision; if he opposed it in the negotiations of the CAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47550/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 204 and 205 together.
Under the new Direct Payments regime which will come into effect in 2015, commonage land continues to be eligible for payment. However, there is a requirement that the farmer must be ‘active’ which, in the case of marginal type land such as mountain commonage, involves carrying out a ‘minimum activity’ which is to be defined by each Member State. The European Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts setting out the framework within which MS shall define the minimum activity. Discussions on delegated acts are continuing and I am not in a position to comment further on the nature of such ‘minimum activity’ until these acts are finalised.
It should also be noted that Member States have the option of excluding land where ‘grasses and other herbaceous forage’ is not predominant. If such land is considered eligible, Member States have the option to apply a reduction co-efficient to such land whereby the declared number of hectares would convert into a reduced number of eligible hectares. I intend to finalise Ireland’s position on these and other Direct Payment issues before the end of the year.
