Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 February 2014
588. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether farmers from outside disadvantaged areas should not be allowed to rent commonages or private mountains in disadvantaged areas to qualify for payments, as this is distorting completely the situation with regard to local farmers who are genuinely farming the locality and want to make a living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9273/14]
View answerThe Terms & Conditions of the Single Payment Scheme/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme require that land declared by all applicants must be farmed and managed by the applicants. Where the applicant is not the owner of the land, the applicant must have the permission of the owner of the land to farm and manage the land. The land must be suitable for and compatible with the applicant’s farming enterprise. The legal right to claim on commonage which is held as a grazing right, as distinct to those commonages registered in undivided shares, is restrictive. To claim grazing rights on a commonage, applicants must be also claiming the owned (green land) to which the grazing right is appurtenant. It would normally be the case that the area (share) of the commonage to be claimed, would be proportionate to the amount of green land to which such right is appurtenant, having taken account of all other appurtenances relating to the said commonage.
