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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 7 Nov 2002

Vol. 556 No. 5

Written Answers. - Stocking Levels.

Billy Timmins

Ceist:

68 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of sheep farmers who received notification to destock as per the commonages framework plans; if this is the most suitable time of the year to send such notification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20674/02]

Letters have issued to 6,276 farmers notifying them of the preliminary calculation of their permitted stocking levels for the 2003 ewe premium year on foot of the commonage framework plans. In 4,183 cases there was a requirement to destock on existing levels. More than 650 farmers who had previously had quota frozen will have some restored. The remainder will have no further destocking requirement since their frozen quota already constitutes a sufficient reduction in stocking levels. The average net destocking requirement is 20 ewes per farmer.

The freezing of ewe quota on some commonages is the outcome of an agreement between my Department and the EU Commission in 1998, which secured generous REPS payments of up to €242 per hectare to farmers with commonage. This agreement was reached at a time when overgrazing by sheep, particularly on commonages in the west, had reached a point where the Commission had threatened to stop all REPS payments on those areas. My Department had had to suspend the processing of REPS applications in the six western counties that included large areas of commonage. As a result of the 1998 agreement with the Commission, however, an additional €7 million per year is now being paid on top of the basic REPS payment to the 3,700 farmers with commonage land who are in REPS. This represents an average annual additional payment of €1,800 per farmer and it brings the total average annual payment for REPS farmers with commonage land to €7,100.

Under the 1998 agreement with the Commission, my Department together with Dúchas was required to have individual framework plans prepared for each commonage. Letters have now issued to farmers with ewe quota because the framework plans have been mostly completed. Individual stocking levels have been calculated with reference to the destocking requirement of the relevant plans together with the data already held in the Department in respect of the farmers concerned. While ewe premium in 2003 will be payable only on the quota now notified to them farmers will have a year to bring their actual stocking levels into line with these calculations and can therefore choose the most advantageous time to sell or acquire stock.
The destocking arrangements are required to implement measures to protect and rejuvenate commonage areas that may be at risk because of overgrazing. They are an integral part of the agreement with the EU Commission secured in 1998. Any failure to implement them would put in question the generous payments based on that agreement. Farmers who are subject to these measures, if they are not already participating in REPS, must apply during 2003 to join REPS or complementary national scheme operated by Dúchas.
Any change to the 1998 agreement would have to be re-negotiated with the EU Commission. In the context of the consultative process on REPS which I recently announced, the participating stakeholders will have an opportunity to discuss the matter.

Michael Ring

Ceist:

69 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will reconsider the destocking regulations, in view of their effect on the hill sheep farming sector. [20702/02]

The freezing of ewe quota on some commonages which was communicated to farmers recently is the outcome of an agreement between my Department and the EU Commission in 1998, which secured generous REPS payments of up to €242 per hectare to farmers with commonage. This agreement was reached at a time when overgrazing by sheep, particularly on commonages in the west, had reached a point where the Commission had threatened to stop all REPS payments on those areas. My Department had had to suspend the processing of REPS applications in the six western counties that included large areas of commonage. As a result of the 1998 agreement with the Commission, however, an additional €7 million per year is now being paid on top of the basic REPS payment to the 3,700 farmers with commonage land who are in REPS. This represents an average annual additional payment of €1,800 per farmer and it brings the total average annual payment for REPS farmers with commonage land to €7,100.

Under the 1998 agreement with the Commission, my Department together with Dúchas was required to have individual framework plans prepared for each commonage. Now that the framework plans have been mostly completed, individual stocking levels have been calculated with reference to the destocking requirement of the relevant plans together with the data already held in the Department in respect of the farmers concerned.
The destocking arrangements are required to implement measures to protect and rejuvenate commonage areas that may be at risk because of overgrazing. They are an integral part of the agreement with the EU Commission secured in 1998. Any failure to implement them would put in question the generous payments based on that agreement. Farmers who are subject to these measures, if they are not already participating in REPS, must apply during 2003 to join REPS or complementary national scheme operated by Dúchas.
Any change to the 1998 agreement would have to be re-negotiated with the EU Commission. In the context of the consultative process on REPS which I recently announced, the participating stakeholders will have an opportunity to discuss the matter.
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