Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 June 2014
141. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason it is proposed in the context of GLAS to give priority to farmers who are classified as more intensive as opposed to those who are classified as less intensive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26356/14]
View answerThe governing regulations identify key priorities that must be addressed in the design of the mandatory agri-environment measure under the terms of the new Rural Development Programme. These include Halting Biodiversity Decline, Maintaining Water Quality and Combating Climate Change. A balance between these priorities must be delivered and the proposals for GLAS reflect an appropriate response to achieving those objectives and securing EU approval for the scheme. Intensive farmers are included in Tier One of GLAS for priority access to the scheme on condition that they undertake certain prescribed actions; however, the vast majority of places in Tier One will be allocated to non-intensive farmers.
