James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 395: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his plans to lessen the negative impact of the proposed new agri-environment options scheme on small and medium sized farms involved in REP schemes for a number of years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13855/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Under the new Agri-Environment Options Scheme which I have launched today, farmers will be paid to undertake identifiable and verifiable environmental actions and have a menu of options from which to choose. The Government has provides for the launch of the new scheme at a rate of up to €5,000 for approximately 10,000 participants.

Generally speaking, the amount any farmer participating in the AEOS will be paid will depend on the number of individual actions he or she undertakes. I am satisfied that many participants will have the opportunity to reach the maximum payment of €5,000. I am confident that very many others will get very close to that figure. In the current economic climate, I believe the Scheme will be attractive to farmers and will also deliver real, worthwhile environmental benefits.

The new Scheme was approved by the European Commission, as part of an amendment to the Rural Development Programme 2007–13, after several months of detailed and difficult negotiations involving officials of my Department. Any substantive changes to the amended RDP would require further negotiations with the Commission. Following discussions with the farming organisations, however, I have asked my officials to take up some points of detail with the Commission with a view to getting their agreement to changes.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 396: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make provision under the new agri-environmental options scheme for farms to continue to be managed in a REP scheme mode; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13856/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Under the new Agri-Environment Options Scheme which I have launched today, farmers will be paid to undertake identifiable and verifiable environmental actions and have a menu of options from which to choose. Many of the options were previously features of REPS. A whole-farm approach on the REPS model is however no longer a possibility.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 397: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food his plans to offset the impact of the new agri-environment options scheme, which as proposed, will be another blow to the rural economy, and will in no way deliver the €50 million promised in budget 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13857/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Under the new Agri-Environment Options Scheme which I have launched today, farmers will be paid to undertake identifiable and verifiable environmental actions and have a menu of options from which to choose. Generally speaking, the amount any farmer participating in the AEOS will be paid will depend on the number of individual actions he or she undertakes. I am satisfied that many participants will have the opportunity to reach the maximum payment of €5,000. I am confident that very many others will get very close to that figure. In the current economic climate, I believe the Scheme will be attractive to farmers and will also deliver real, worthwhile environmental benefits.

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 398: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if, in respect of the proposed agri-environment scheme which replaces the REP scheme, he will meet the farming organisations to discuss significant changes and improvements which could be made to the scheme to make it more effective and acceptable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13868/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Under the new Agri-Environment Options Scheme which I have launched today, farmers will be paid to undertake identifiable and verifiable environmental actions and have a menu of options from which to choose. The Government has provides for the launch of the new scheme at a rate of up to €5,000 for approximately 10,000 participants.

Generally speaking, the amount any farmer participating in the AEOS will be paid will depend on the number of individual actions he or she undertakes. I am satisfied that many participants will have the opportunity to reach the maximum payment of €5,000. I am confident that very many others will get very close to that figure. In the current economic climate, I believe the Scheme will be attractive to farmers and will also deliver real, worthwhile environmental benefits.

The new Scheme was approved by the European Commission, as part of an amendment to the Rural Development Programme 2007–13, after several months of detailed negotiations involving officials of my Department. Any substantive changes to the amended RDP would require further negotiations with the Commission. Following discussions with the farming organisations, however, I have asked my officials to take up some points of detail with the Commission with a view to getting their agreement to changes.