GLAS Applications

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 July 2015

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Questions (121)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

121. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm that, on average, the number of applicants applying under the green low-carbon agri-environmental scheme in respect of commonages is considerably lower than two per commonage, even allowing for the fact that some farmers have shares in more than one commonage and that he recently stated that 4,000 scheme applicants with commonage covered nearly 2,700 commonages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26570/15]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I am very pleased that over half of all commonages in the country are represented in the first tranche of GLAS applications. Further analysis is needed to determine exactly the average number of farmers per commonage in GLAS, as some farmers operate on several commonages.

What is clear is that there are commonage farmers who have not yet applied for the Scheme. Some of these are undoubtedly in AEOS and intend to see out their AEOS contracts, confident in the knowledge that they will receive priority access to GLAS when they do decide to join. Others may have waited in order to see if a commonage management plan is commenced on their particular commonage. This option was open to farmers, given that commonage management plans can be joined at a later date and that priority access remains open to these farmers.

I would expect additional applications from Commonage farmers under the second tranche of GLAS, which opens in the Autumn.