Vol. 551 No. 3
207 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands when the Dúchas national scheme to compensate farmers who are not in REP scheme for destocking will be announced; her proposals in this regard; when application forms will be made available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10432/02]
Following the publication in February of destocking figures on a townland basis, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, in conjunction with my Department, is making arrangements to publish the detailed commonage framework plans on which these figures were based. Once this has been done details of how to obtain compensation, other than through the REPS scheme, will be made available.
Plans will be applied at farm level in the same way as REPS and Dúchas schemes. Compensation in the Dúchas scheme, subject to approval by the EU Commission as a State aid, will be per head of stock reduced below a level of five ewe equivalents per hectare.
