Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 March 2015
264. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason his Department is applying land eligibility penalties, in cases of under-utilisation of agricultural land, instead of applying good agricultural and environmental conditions criteria, based on the severity of under-grazing of the land; if a farmer can be penalised for only using rough grazing on a seasonal basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8760/15]
View answerAll applicants under the Basic Payment Scheme and other area based schemes are obliged to comply with the land eligibility requirements of the Direct Payments regime. Under the Cross Compliance provisions an applicant must also comply with the Statutory Management Requirements and the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards. GAEC provides for compliance with seven standards. These standards include, where applicable, the establishment of buffer strips, the use of water for irrigation, the prevention of ground water pollution, maintaining minimum ground cover, limiting soil erosion, maintaining soil organic matter and the retention of landscape features such as hedges and ditches. Under the provisions of the reformed CAP Regime it is not possible to apply a GAEC standard sanction to applicants for the under-utilisation of land, as this is an eligibility issue.
Applicants under the Direct Payment Scheme are required to conduct a sufficient level of agricultural activity on all lands declared for aid. Such activities include the production, rearing or growing of agricultural products, including harvesting, milking, breeding animals, and keeping animals for farming purposes, maintaining an agricultural area in a state which makes it suitable for grazing or cultivation and carrying out a minimum activity, on agricultural areas naturally kept in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation.
