Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 210: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty created by down-sizing of the REP scheme having particular regard to the fact that many farmers has made medium term budgetary plans which have now fallen into disorder; if he will examine the full extent of the cohort of farmers in this category with a view to resolution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34290/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Rural Environment Protection Scheme covers a five year contract period and annual payments continue to be made to approximately 30,000 participants who remain in the Scheme. I am, of course, conscious of the importance of agri environment payments to farmers and I re-opened the Agri-environmant Options Scheme (AEOS) 2011 despite the serious budgetary pressures and constraints facing my Department. I am actively considering the possibility of re-opening AEOS this year to allow for the submission of applications either on an amended basis from the existing scheme and/or on a limited scale. The full year cost of any new scheme will have to be met in 2013 and any decision to re-open AEOS will be taken in the context of consideration of the resources available and the need to remain within the agreed expenditure ceiling for my Department in 2013. I will make an announcement as soon as I have reached a decision on the situation.