Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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175. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider extending the REP scheme 4 scheme beyond its deadline for a further 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39863/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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While there are no plans to extend the current REPS 4 Scheme I am pleased to say that the revised CAP 2014 – 2020 gives priority to agri-environment schemes and requires that the new Rural Development Plan must include an agri-environment scheme. I fully support this position. These schemes recognise the vital role that farmers play in delivering public goods through the adoption of environmentally friendly farming practices. The protection of the environment benefits all of us, not just the farming community, and Irish farmers have shown a real and continued commitment to agri-environment schemes since REPS was first introduced in 1994. I am confident that they will continue to show the same interest in the next round.

The process for the introduction of new schemes under the new CAP is well underway. Under the current draft Rural Development Regulation, my Department must undertake an ex ante evaluation, a public consultation, a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) a needs assessment, a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and an appropriate assessment (AA) in developing our Rural Development Programme. An independent evaluator has been contracted to prepare the ex-ante evaluation report, SEA and AA and to advise on the SWOT analysis. An initial consultation process was launched in 2012, and written submissions were received from over 80 stakeholders. These submissions have been analysed by my Department and have fed into the development of the SWOT and needs analyses. A second consultation was held in July, where stakeholders attended a full day workshop on the draft SWOT and needs analyses. Based on the outcome of these processes, the drafting of the new programme is being advanced in my Department, and it is intended that further stakeholder consultation will form part of this.

I am aware that some 12,000 farmers will be exiting REPS this year and that many of them would like the opportunity to join a new agri-environment scheme at the earliest opportunity. Likewise there are enquiries about extending the current AEOS scheme. Any such extension or new scheme would have to be considered in the context of the wider budgetary situation. In view of the challenges we continue to face in terms of the public finances, and the requirement to balance competing needs both within the agricultural sector and in the economy as a whole, the government will give these matters careful consideration in the context of the upcoming Estimates process.