Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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27. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the details of the GLAS scheme will be finalised and known; and the level of consultation that has taken place with farming groups regarding the new scheme. [20336/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I announced details of the new GLAS (Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme) and GLAS+ Scheme on 14 January 2014 as part of a suite of proposed measures under the new Rural Development Programme. The GLAS Scheme will provide significant funding to farmers who undertake environmental actions in line with national and EU environmental objectives. It will contribute to the overall public good and will build on the success of previous agri-environment schemes.

The entire Rural Development Programme must be submitted to the European Commission for approval. Public consultation, an ex ante evaluation, a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), a needs assessment, a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and an appropriate assessment (AA) are mandatory requirements in the development of the Programme. An independent evaluator has been contracted to prepare the ex ante evaluation report, SEA and AA and to advise on the SWOT analysis.

Stakeholder consultation has been a central element in the development of the new RDP. A number of different formal and informal consultation processes which included the farming organisations have taken place. The most recently completed stakeholder consultation centred on my announcement of proposed RDP measures and the allocation of national funding in January 2014. As part of this process I published a consultation document on the new Rural Development Programme, which sets out a range of proposed measures for inclusion.

Work on the development of the GLAS Scheme is well advanced and detailed proposals will be published shortly after which further consultation with the farming social partners will take place. Formal proposals will then be submitted to the European Commission for consideration and approval. The new Scheme adopts a tiered approach to applications, giving priority access to certain actions which address specific environmental issues. These priorities are targeted towards actions which mitigate climate change, enhance biodiversity and address water quality. The Scheme will be governed by selection criteria, as is required under all EU funded schemes.

Once the Scheme is approved by the European Commission, all GLAS documentation, including the Terms and Conditions, application procedure and selection criteria will be published.