Firstly I would like to point out that my priority is to put in place requirements for commonages that will deliver real and measurable environmental benefits and will fit within the framework of the Rural Development Regulations, which require that farmers are only paid for actions which exceed the baseline for the Basic Payment Scheme. At recent meetings with the EU Commission it was made clear that it is incumbent on Member States to ensure that payments are for actions above the baseline and that clear evidence of same must be shown in order to secure approval for the Rural Development Programme.
There has been extensive consultation with the stakeholders concerned and I am well aware of the issues arising. However, there is general agreement that the key to managing these valuable habitats is a single Commonage Management Plan (CMP), covering all participating GLAS shareholders.
I have recently met with various hill-farmer representatives and I am very confident that we can deliver a successful implementation strategy for these commonages. In this regard, I have stressed that reaching the 50% participation rate is an important target but it will not be a barrier to entry. My focus now is to secure Commission approval to the Rural Development Programme at the earliest possible date so that I can open GLAS to applications.
