Vol. 503 No. 7
29 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will consider on its individual merits each REPS application with commonage not previously included on 1997 area aid application in order that farmers under the age of 35 are not unduly penalised. [10888/99]
Each application to join the rural environment protection scheme is assessed on its own merits. Where a farm consists of both private land and commonage the position is that the private lands would be eligible for the scheme but commonage land is eligible only where farmers or successors in title who own commonage shares and-or grazing rights declared commonage and-or grazing rights for area aid in 1997 or 1998 and either applied for livestock premia-headage in 1997 or 1998 or held quota rights in either of these two years. Commonage land owned by farmers with less than 15 livestock units who have not made an area aid application and who provide acceptable evidence that in 1997 or 1998 they farmed commonage and-or grazing rights and either held quota rights or applied for livestock premia-headage is also eligible.
