Vol. 493 No. 5
131 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food whether his attention has been drawn to concerns raised with his Department regarding damage to hedgerows and ecosystems which is apparently being carried out by farmers prior to seeking accreditation under the REP scheme; whether officials of his Department have had meetings with environmental NGOs to discuss this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16676/98]
132 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food his views on whether his Department's policies with regard to the REP scheme and the EU directives in the area of environmental protection may be compromised by the slash and burn practices apparently being adopted by some farmers immediately before committing to the REP scheme programme; the plans, if any, he has to introduce pre-entry requirements in relation to the scheme to counter this phenomenon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16677/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together.
Under the REP scheme if habitats have been removed prior to application to join the scheme the applicant is ineligible for. Special attention is paid to this matter in the Department's pre-payment and compliance checks under the scheme.
Officials of my Department issued a circular in April last year to all planners/planning agencies drawing their attention to this requirement and to the serious consequences of any such habitat removal either in anticipation of joining or after joining the scheme. Officials of my Department met with an environmental NGO late last year to discuss proposals made by that body in relation to the maintenance of farm and field boundaries.
