Vol. 486 No. 6
152 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will exempt small farmers with turbary rights for commonage from cross compliance regulations; and if he will allow them to join the REP scheme without owning ten acres of private land. [3017/98]
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 461 of 28 January. There has been no change in the position since then.
153 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will introduce a ruling allowing those with commonage, shared, owned or leased, to join the REP scheme providing that the commonage is located within a certain mileage of the farms. [3018/98]
154 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will review the ten acre rule for REP scheme applicants in relation to shared and leased commonage. [3019/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 154 together.
My Department issued revised conditions on 10 December 1997 to exclude people with leased commonage and grazing rights from eligibility for payment under the scheme and to require intending participants with owned commonage land to be farming a minimum of ten acres of privately held land. I have no plans to alter these regulations.
