Seán Connick (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

Under the new agri-environment options scheme which the Minister, Deputy Smith, launched on 30 March, farmers will be paid to undertake identifiable and verifiable environmental actions and have a menu of options from which to choose. The actions are designed to contribute to the priorities of biodiversity, water quality and climate change. The Government has provided for the launch of the new scheme at a rate of up to €5,000 for approximately 10,000 participants.

The EU regulations governing the agri-environment options scheme allow for the encouragement of the sustainable use of agricultural land through agri-environment payments. The actions described by the Deputy are outside the scope of the regulations and cannot be included in the scheme. The enforcement of national legislation relating to illegal dumping and the maintaining of roadside vegetation is a matter in the first instance for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

I am confident, however, that the agri-environment options scheme will deliver many environmental benefits in other ways. I believe it can build on the success of REPS, which has done so much since 1994 for water quality, biodiversity, conservation and landscape enhancement. It has also brought welcome income benefits to farmers, with more than €342 million paid out to REPS participants last year which was the highest level in any year since the scheme began. Payments due to REPS farmers this year will continue at this high level. Farmers will continue in REPS up to the end of 2014. By the time the scheme finally comes to an end, payments to farmers will have exceeded €3 billion.

The agri-environment options scheme was introduced following long and complex negotiations between my officials and the European Commission, which determined its structure and content. Participants in the new scheme will be paid to undertake identifiable and verifiable environmental actions. They have a menu of options from which to choose those actions which best suit their particular circumstances. My officials have recently sought the Commission's agreement to some minor further changes, which I believe will further enhance the attractiveness of the new scheme to farmers. I will review the position in the light of the experience gained over the coming months in implementing the scheme.

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