Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his comments and I welcome the decision not to reduce the rate of payment or the qualifying hectares for the scheme. In 2009, the last Government reduced payments to all farmers under the disadvantaged areas scheme and many farmers in Connemara with large hectarages of poor quality land endured reductions of more than €1,000.

I also welcome the Minister of State's remark that farmers will be written to formally by his Department and given an opportunity to apply for derogations on the grounds that their participation in one of the measures in question resulted in lowering their stocking rates. It is important that this be done as soon as possible. The sooner they are written to and told that they can apply for derogations because of restrictions under commonage framework plans or the rural environment protection scheme, REPS, or because they farm in sensitive areas, the sooner they can submit their responses and the more likely it is that their payments will issue in the autumn without delay and in time with payments to other farmers.

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