Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 16 May 1995

Vol. 452 No. 8

Written Answers. - Land Substitution.

Desmond J. O'Malley

Ceist:

57 Mr. O'Malley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will allow cereal growers to swap ineligible land for eligible land under the EC cereals regime where the land in question is rented rather than owned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8764/95]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

The EU Commission has recently adopted a regulation which permits the substitution of eligible land with ineligible land for agronomic, phytosanitary or environmental reasons. Member states are required to submit plans to the Commission each year indicating the total area of land substituted and the measures taken to ensure that the substitution does not result in an increase in the area of eligible land.

My Department is at present examining the new regulation with a view to deciding on the criteria which can be used to permit substitution, and the circumstances under which the necessary controls on the area limitation requirement can be implemented.

In the latter regard, the conacre system can give rise to certain difficulties in the short term, particularly where land can be used by different farmers over a period of years. It would be difficult to keep track of individual fields in such situations, in order to ensure that land which loses eligibility in any year is not the subject of a claim for area payments by a different producer in a future year.

We must provide a satisfactory solution to this problem in order to ensure that our national plan will be accepted by the European Commission, thus providing access to the new arrangement for all producers. The objective is to make the facility as widely available as possible. A statement will be made in advance of this year's autumn sowings.

While the land substitution facility is a step in the right direction a more satisfactory solution to the eligible land rule is required which would benefit all producers and which would not involve additional regulatory requirements. I have made a submission to Commissioner Fischler on the difficulties arising from the eligible land rule.