Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that those working commonage will not be disadvantaged if 50% of shareholders do not take up the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS. [35428/14]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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The question is to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that those working commonage will not be disadvantaged if 50% of shareholders do not take up the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, and those who work commonages and apply for the scheme will be successful.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for the question. This is an issue of concern to many hill farmers. The preservation and restoration of commonages, and the continuation of suitable and environmentally friendly farming practices on the hills, is a core element of GLAS and part of Ireland’s overall plan for halting biodiversity loss. In recognition of the importance of commonages, hill farmers will get priority access to GLAS but it is accepted by all that the most effective management of those hills is achieved when those who are actively farming it work together. That is why the creation of a commonage management plan that encourages the shareholders themselves to take control of the grazing of their commonage is the model we have chosen for GLAS. In addition, in order to qualify for an agri-environment payment, the actions undertaken by farmers must be above the baseline for the basic payment scheme, and it is the actions in the commonage management plan which demonstrate that. The only requirement for commonage farmers joining GLAS is for 50% of active farmers to sign up to a GLAS commonage plan or sufficient farmers to bring in at least 50% of the land into the commonage plan. There is no imposition of minimum or maximum stocking densities, and smaller commonages of less than 10 ha in size will not be subject to any minimum participation requirement. On commonages of that size, farmers can enter GLAS in their own right.

I do not believe that a minimum participation requirement based on this model is insurmountable and there are ways in which the application process can be structured that might assist.

However, where real difficulties are being encountered, the farmers concerned can make a case to the commonage implementation committee for entry to the scheme. If it is clear that the farmer or farmers have made every effort to meet the requirement but have failed through no fault of their own, they will not be locked out of GLAS.

Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister said that if a farmer puts his or her case to the commonage implementation committee, he or she may receive the relevant entitlements through that scheme. I understand that the level of take-up was less than 50% on the land, among active farmers and relating to commonage.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We have had many discussions with farmers concerned about this and certain issues have been raised. Farmers told me they cannot all work with the same planner because they have different planners and would like to be able to apply using their own planners. That is acceptable as long as they comply with a commonage GLAS plan implemented by a planner. If other planners are involved, that is fine as long as they ensure farmers farm in a manner consistent with the GLAS plan.

Ultimately, the aim of this is to ensure the commonage is farmed in a manner consistent with the GLAS plan. Farmers can buy in to this as they wish and use whatever advisers and planners they wish. However, it may be the case that one farmer wishes to sign up to GLAS but does not qualify because other farmers on the commonage do not wish to do so. That farmer can consult the commonage implementation committee and it will be proactive in trying to bring in sufficient numbers to ensure a credible solution to the problem. A commonage implies collective farming so the committee will insist that at least half the commonage is consistent with the commonage GLAS plan. Otherwise it would have no credibility.

In my view, the implementation group will provide practical responses to ensure people who wish to join GLAS can do so. Most of the farmers who had concerns are reasonably happy with the compromise.