Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Under EU regulations, less favoured and disadvantaged areas were to be replaced by newly designated areas of natural constraint, ANCs, from 2018, with eligible areas being designated using a set list of biophysical criteria such as soil drainage, texture and slope. However, as part of legislative amendments at EU level, a proposal was made to extend the 2018 deadline to 2019 on an optional basis. This proposal has been approved at EU level, along with a number of other regulatory changes in what is referred to as the “omnibus proposal”.

My Department has commenced work on this project and relevant technical experts are currently working on analysing the data in regard to the new biophysical criteria. In addition to the technical work on the biophysical criteria, the regulation allows for two linked processes designed to enable further targeting of support under the scheme. These processes are called fine-tuning and the identification of areas of specific constraint. The three processes are under way in parallel to each other and once complete will provide the basis for the identification of eligible areas in the ANC scheme from 2019 onwards.

In order to progress this work, my Department is in ongoing communication with the European Commission in regard to the accepted parameters and technical aspects of the project. Any change to the ANC scheme on foot of this process will require formal agreement with the European Commission via an amendment of Ireland's rural development programme 2014-20.

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