Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 334: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the degree to which he has attempted directly or in conjunction with his EU colleagues to utilise set aside lands for alternative production purposes; the degree to which this has been successful here and throughout the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4224/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Part of the outcome of the CAP Health Check negotiations was the decision to abolish the compulsory set aside of tillage land, effective from the 2009 Scheme, thereby doing away with the complex management rules attached to it. I warmly welcomed the decision at the time, one of a number of changes introduced as part of the simplification process. Previously, agreement had been reached in Brussels on the introduction of a 0% compulsory set aside requirement for 2008.

Under the 2007 Single Payment Scheme, in excess of 28,000 hectares had been declared as set aside. Under the rules of that Scheme, land was set aside for the period 15 January to 31 August and, during this time, it was forbidden to use such land for any agricultural production, although during the period 1 September to year-end the land could be used for silage production or grazing. The abolition of the set aside requirement allows farmers the potential to alter their output to respond to market signals, which was particularly welcome in light of widespread cereal shortages in recent years.