Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív that Deputy Kyne is very knowledgeable on this area. I have sat down with him on multiple occasions to tease through these issues, introduce compromises and changes and discuss the workings of the implementation group and how they may help farmers. I continue to do so on a daily basis. I have been to Deputy Ó Cuív's constituency with Deputy Kyne. We walked across some of the commonage lands. The idea that I do not know the reality of how they are farmed is not true. As is the case in Wicklow, as we heard from Deputy Doyle, there are different types of management systems and hill farming on commonages. The system of hill farming is very different to lowland agriculture.

We are trying to adapt to this and have a non-party political implementation group that is about talking to farmers about the practicalities of getting into GLAS or ensuring they qualify for single farm payments or ANCs - disadvantaged area payments as they know them. We can then move from one CAP to another while ensuring as many farmers as possible benefit. That is what we will continue to do.

The 50% participation requirement started out as an 80% requirement for prioirty access to GLAS. By the way, the joint committee signed up to the principle of having at least 80% of active farmers being part of a scheme, like, for example, the Burren scheme in order to be able to draw down. The principle of collective responsibility is one on which we all agree. We have made it very clear that to be credible with the Commission, at least half the people involved or half the land in the commonage area must be participating or included in a plan. Where land is being farmed in commonage, there is a shared responsibility. If there are practical reasons we cannot get 50% of the land or the people involved, we have an implementation group which will go into that commonage, speak to the shareholders and try to put a solution in place that can work for farmers. We will do this in a way that is inclusive, rather than to try to lock people out because they cannot meet exacting criteria. We are introducing significant flexibilities, responding to farming organisations and individual farmers and, in particular, people like Deputy Seán Kyne, who have been repeatedly raising these issues with me. That is why we have a group going around the country to explain how this will work and the flexibilities.

I genuinely have an open mind on this issue. If we can put better solutions in place, I have an open mind about changing. I will not dig my heels in because I do not want to backtrack. If there is a solution that works and that we can apply, we will look at it. I have no interest in doing anything that locks out those who should be getting supports and payments because we want to keep them on and interested in the land. At the same time, I have to ensure a finite resource goes to farmers who are actively farming the land when and where possible. If we do not do this, the Commission will come and ensure it will happen.

I thank the joint committee for a very useful report which has helped to shape much of the policy we have formulated.

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