Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 22 Feb 2000

Vol. 514 No. 6

Written Answers. - Commonage Protection.

Michael D. Higgins

Ceist:

97 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the steps, if any, he will take to deal with the problem of overgrazing on mountainsides; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5052/00]

Commonage land in certain district electoral divisions in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Kerry is regarded as degraded or in danger of becoming degraded due to problems associated with overgrazing by sheep.

The position is that, in conjunction with my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, I introduced a national interim framework plan for all commonages in 1998. Under the terms of that interim framework plan, all sheep farmers with mountain ewes and commonage land in the six western counties who were not already participating in the rural environment protection scheme – REPS – were required to reduce their ewe numbers in November-December 1998. Under this measure, some 140,000 sheep were permanently removed from these commonages. Payment of 1999 ewe premium and sheep headage grants to the farmers concerned was limited to 70% of 1998 entitlement and a maximum of 200 sheep, in the case of sheep headage. Similar provisions will apply to payment entitlements in 2000.
This national interim framework plan for commonages was put in place pending the completion of detailed framework plans for individual commonages which will incorporate the main environmental measures in the agri-environment programme already agreed with the European Commission in 1998. The new measure requires that a detailed framework plan be drawn up for each commonage under the supervision of my Department and the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. In addition, significantly enhanced payments are available under REPS for farmers with land in natural heritage areas and commonages. Work on the preparation of detailed commonage framework plans commenced in early 1999 and it is expected that a large number of plans will become available during this year. The plans are being prepared by teams consisting of agriculturists and environmentalists. The main aim of these detailed framework plans will be to set sustainable stocking levels which will allow for the regeneration of damaged vegetation. When the detailed commonage framework plans are completed it will be a condition of the headage and premium schemes that farmers with commonage land must be participating in an approved REPS plan or a national agri-enivronment plan to be operated by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. It is expected that such cross-compliance will be put in place in year 2001.
Barr
Roinn