Cathal Crowe
Question:145. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way his Department determines that land has been abandoned. [16789/22]
View answerThursday, 31 March 2022
Questions (145)
Written answers
In order to qualify for payment under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), an applicant must have an eligible hectare for each payment entitlement held.
Under the scheme, land is regarded as eligible land if it can be maintained in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation without preparatory action going beyond the usual agricultural methods and machineries. There must be an agricultural activity carried out in the parcel, because abandoned land is not eligible for payment.
Abandoned land may be characterised by, inter alia, a lack of evidence of an agricultural activity, issues with access or fencing or the state of the vegetation on the parcel.