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

There will be an individual commonage GLAS plan for each commonage. There is no same overall plan for all commonage areas. There was an idea, and we have moved away significantly from it, that the overall commonage framework plan would implement and force a commonage framework plan on each commonage area.

We have instead moved towards a basic stocking rate requirement on disadvantaged lands and commonage lands to try to make it as easy as possible for farmers to implement. We have said there will be flexibility in terms of the levels of stocking individual shareholders and farmers will apply. We are in discussions with the Commission on whether somebody who has an agreement with another shareholder to cover his or her stocking rate can qualify to be part of the farming and management of that commonage. One example of the flexibilities we have discussed with the Commission are cases where, for example, somebody has an interest in two or three different commonage areas, decides to put stock in one of them and agrees with other shareholders on the other two to cover the stocking rates which would otherwise apply. Such issues have been raised with me and my officials.

Let me be clear. We cannot simply design this scheme to our own liking. It needs European Commission approval because it is funded through the RDP programme which is co-funded by the Commission. It is a fair issue to raise and we are trying to deal with it.

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