Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 2 Feb 2000

Vol. 513 No. 4

Written Answers. - Rural Environment Protection Scheme.

Ulick Burke

Ceist:

138 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the deduction, if any, other than the normal, required in forage areas where a holding in a REP scheme includes a commonage share with an interim destocking of 30% and a planned destock of 50% respectively in relation to stocking density calculations; and if the winterage will be included as forage area where a holding in a REP scheme includes a winterage which is only permitted to be grazed in the period November to March. [2836/00]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

Payments under the rural environment protection scheme are area based. Where all or part of the eligible area comprises commonage land, the stocking densities on the commonage must comply with the provisions of the interim national framework plan. For farmers owning commonage land in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Kerry, ewe numbers shall not exceed 70% of their 1998 quota. Reductions in ewe numbers on owned commonage in other counties shall be determined by the planner when drawing up a REPS plan.

Compliance with the destocking provisions is mandatory for all new participants entering the scheme from 1 January 1999. Participants in the scheme prior to 1 January 1999 who wish to avail of the enhanced payment rates under SMA must take out a new five year contract to incorporate the SMA provisions into the agri-environment plan.

In circumstances where destocking is required, no reduction is made in the area on which REPS payments are made.