Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

Will the Minister give an educated guess as to when this scheme will be in place? A number of farmers were on the REPS 2 scheme, which lapsed on 31 December, and they cannot apply for a new scheme until REPS 4 becomes available. Will the Minister extend the REPS 2 scheme as an interim measure, either for six or 12 months, to get over the anomaly that exists? Farmers who were in REPS 1 and continued into REPS 2 have found themselves in limbo until the new scheme becomes available. Is it possible to facilitate a continuation of REPS 2 in the interests of good environmental management and to maintain the income those farmers have had up to now?

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