Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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47. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to impose buffer zones around areas where turf cutting is permitted in commonage areas and the effect this will have on ACRES payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8201/24]

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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Concerns have been raised about Department plans to impose buffer zones around areas where turf cutting is permitted in commonage areas and the very real impact this may have on scores under the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, and possibly reduced ACRES payments. Will the Minister give us an update on the Department plans on this?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Kerrane. The Deputy will be aware that the ACRES scheme is our flagship environmental scheme under the new CAP. Over the course of the past year we have had 1.1 million ha of land scored, representing 25% of our overall total productive land in the Republic, including more than 400,000 ha of commonage. This is a phenomenal achievement and one that advisers and farmers as well as ACRES co-operation project, CP, teams and other stakeholders can be rightly proud of.

In supporting this results-based approach, my Department and the co-operation teams developed a series of ten scorecards to assess the environmental status of the habitats in ACRES. The scorecards include positive indicators such as plant species, vegetation structure and wetness. They also include threats and pressures such as exposed soil and damaging activities, which can include turbary activity. These scorecards also capture management advice to improve the habitat, allowing farmers to improve the score and ultimately their payments.

The scoring of the commonage areas was undertaken by ACRES co-operation project teams and completed over the course of the year. As part of that I was very conscious that turf cutting activity could potentially have a disproportionate impact on commonage scores and especially if the commonage is scored as one field and there is a high level of active peat cutting and associated works. This is why, together with the co-operation project teams, a protocol was developed for the co-operation project teams to ensure turbary and non-turbary areas were assessed separately. This protocol maintains the environmental integrity of ACRES and the environmental integrity of the wider CAP strategic plan. Under the protocol, the active turbary area plus a buffer zone of 100 m is applied when delineating turbary field boundaries. I want to be clear, however, that this 100 m buffer is not applied where there is distinct ideological divide between active turbary and the adjacent commonage such as a watercourse, for example.

In recent weeks the issue of the buffer has been brought to my attention for the first time by some farm representative organisations. I have, therefore, engaged with my own team and I am awaiting a report from my officials as to the likely impact the buffer could have on payments. I will give that very careful consideration once I have received it.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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It is the case then that a proposal has been made for this 100 m buffer zone around where turbary activity is taking place and turf is being cut on common areas. Many farmers on commonage areas may not be cutting turf but they will be impacted if such a buffer zone actually comes to pass. The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, INHFA, said it had discussions with the Department last year and an understanding was reached that allowed for the areas where the turf is being cut to be separated. The Minister referred to that in relation to it being scored separately. This really needs to be held because it will have an impact on the overall score and an impact on farmers' payments when in some cases they have nothing to do with the turf cutting on the commonage area to begin with. It is important we get clarity on this as soon as possible. The proposal has been put to the Minister and has been looked at. Will the Minister be clear very quickly about the decision made on that? The INHFA had its discussion and came away with the understanding that there will not be a negative impact on farmers in commonage areas when it comes to the ACRES scoring and payments. How long will it take the Minister to look at this proposal and confirm what the situation will be?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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This issue was first brought to my attention by the INHFA and their Donegal chairman, Mr. John McConway, and the concern that turbary as scored as part of the wider commonage would have a disproportionate impact. Having taken on board that concern, there was engagement with the Department. The direction agreed after that was that the turbary would be extracted from the wider commonage and scored separately. My team in the Department then developed a protocol working with the co-operation project teams. They agreed and implemented a 100 m buffer coming out of that, but not in all circumstances because where there is a natural break, the 100 m buffer does not apply. The co-operation teams went ahead on the basis of that and have scored all the commonages on the basis of that.

This buffer issue was brought to my attention for the first time again in the past ten days or so. As a result of that I have now engaged with my Department and am continuing to engage on the potential impact of that, bearing in mind that the scoring has already been done by co-operation project teams over the course of last summer and it is only being brought to my attention at this stage by any representative organisation and the INHFA in raising it with me. I understand the concern about this. This is why I am looking at it and drilling down into it. Working with my team, we will continue to do that. I do not have a timeline on this. Obviously we have made the decision on the interim payment of €4,000 and €5,000 to everyone. I will be using that space now to engage further with the team to conclude and make sure all the ACRES work is finished, and to look at that particular issue.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I ask that this work is completed as quickly as possible. In the Minister's reply he clearly outlined at the very start that they would be scored separately and then, by the sounds of things, the co-operation project teams implemented the buffer zone anyway. This appears to have been implemented and it should not have been. The INHFA is very concerned. Its representatives met with the Department last year and an agreement was made, and now clearly this has been changed. I appreciate that the Minister is looking at it. It needs to be looked at as quickly as possible. The interim payments are being made, which is fine for this portion, but we need a definite decision on this and farmers need to be clear that on commonages where turf is being cut, a buffer zone will not exist. The Minister must be clear on this when he has completed the work as quickly as possible because it will affect scores and it will affect payments if the 100 m buffer zone around these areas goes ahead.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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At the outset the initial intention was that everything would be scored within the one commonage together and the turbary would be within that commonage as well. The concern was then expressed that this could lead to a disproportionate impact on the overall score and the payment to the farmer. I then intervened and the decision was made to extract and separate out turbary from the wider commonage and that it would be scored separately as a separate parcel as such. Up to that it was going to be incorporated into the wider commonage. After the implementation of that, working with my own team and the co-operation teams, the protocol was settled on and then the co-operation teams scored that based on the 100 m buffer, or less than that where there are natural breaks.

This has been brought to my attention in the past ten days with regard to the protocol and the potential impact. It is something I understand, particularly coming from Donegal. I am very much aware of this. This is why I am engaging with my team on it. It is against the backdrop of the scoring by the co-operation teams having taken place and having been submitted. Now that it has been brought to my attention, I am looking at it to fully assess it. I am very conscious of the issue.