Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 December 2013
16. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his plans for farmers participating in the Twelve Bens-Garraun complex in Connemara; the negotiations his Department has had with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine regarding said farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51461/13]
View answerFarmers in the Twelve Bens/Garraun and Maumturk Mountain Complex Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) were obliged to amend their farming practices from 1 November 2008 to ensure that mountain/commonage areas recovered from past overgrazing.
This grazing restriction concluded on 1 November this year. The payments delivered from my Department assisted farmers in delivering Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition - GAEC - in these sensitive habitats over the period of the scheme. The recovery was an essential part of Ireland’s compliance with a judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Supports for farming are principally a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. In terms of future schemes for Natura areas, my Department is engaged in ongoing discussions with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine concerning suitable agri-environment measures under the next Rural Development Plan.
