Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I want to re-emphasise my commitment to the agri-environment schemes in general, which put environmentally-friendly farming to the forefront and which recognise the vital role farmers play in delivering public goods for the benefit of all society. This commitment by Government is matched by the enthusiasm of Irish farmers who have shown a keen willingness to engage with environmental issues since the introduction of the first agri-environmental scheme.

REPS, which was the first such scheme, was introduced in 1994 to promote ways of using agricultural land which are compatible with the protection and improvement of the environment, biodiversity, the landscape and its features, climate change, natural resources, water quality, the soil and genetic diversity. There are currently almost 30,000 participants still in REPS.

The successor to REPS, AEOS, is a more targeted agri-environment scheme and is part-funded from modulation funds under the CAP health check. The scheme specifically targets the three challenges of halting biodiversity loss, contributing to the improvement of water quality and combating climate change, that have been assigned the highest priority at European level and those that have been identified as needing urgent action. There are currently about 15,000 participants in AEOS 1 and 11. The scheme builds on the important environmental work carried out under REPS and will go some way towards addressing the serious challenges of sustainability and conservation.

My own ongoing commitment, and that of the Government, to agri-environmental schemes are evident in the funding of €243 million which has been provided to meet commitments under REPS and AEOS in 2012. The commitment is also clear from the fact that despite serious budgetary pressures, I re-opened AEOS to new entrants last year. Deputy Moynihan will point to the fact that there was a surplus last year, but we had to budget for a multi-annual REPS scheme. The problem was this year and next year, not last year.

Nevertheless, I know that farmers are concerned as to whether there will be a new AEOS scheme. It was not possible or appropriate to open an AEOS scheme this May. I do want to open a limited and more targeted scheme this year, which is what I said on budget day. That is what I hope to deliver. I hope farmers will be able to apply for that before the end of September. We are undertaking a review of commonage framework programmes at the moment, which may well change the stocking rate levels within those framework programmes. They may well be a factor in the qualification criteria for any new AEOS scheme. So, instead of opening it in May, we are hoping to get sanction from the Department of Finance to open a much more limited scheme, which I have discussed with farm organisations repeatedly. I have been consistent on this, so hopefully we will open it for applicants by the end of September, if we can get sanction to do so.

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