Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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23. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress made to date in resolving issues in relation to commonages potentially affecting both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 payments under the Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42801/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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As the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy has progressed, my Department has been addressing a number of issues relating to commonage land in the context of both the new Rural Development Plan and GLAS and the new Basic Payment Scheme.

The experience to date since the Single Payment Scheme was introduced in 2005 is that there is a growing problem of commonage land being under-grazed and in some cases being abandoned by farmers.

This trend is not good for the environment, as these areas lose the specific characteristics as natural habitats for flora and fauna. In addition, the creeping ineligibility of these lands under the Single Payment Scheme and other Direct Payment Schemes poses a significant risk to the State in view of the risk of financial corrections being imposed by the European Commission.

Under the reformed CAP Regime, it was decided that Direct Payments should be more focused on active farmers. In that regard, it will be necessary for all farmers who apply for aid under the Basic Payment Scheme to have an agricultural activity on each land parcel that they claim aid on.  In the case of marginal land including commonages, this agricultural activity can only be achieved by grazing the land. The minimum activity envisaged under the Basis Payment Scheme is a modest one which is equivalent to a minimum of one ewe per one and a half hectares grazing requirement.

However it is also apparent that many applicants under the Single Payment Scheme have not been actively farming, for a variety of reasons including age and ill health, the commonage land claimed.

Currently discussions are taking places with the Commission regarding the setting of a relatively modest requirement under the Pillar I Schemes and the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme for maintaining marginal land including commonages while maximising the numbers of farmers qualifying for payment under both schemes.

In relation to Pillar 2,and specifically GLAS, the first thing to be said is that payments under GLAS can only be made in respect of actions which go beyond the baseline requirements for Pillar 1.  Farmers are already required under the Basic Payment Scheme to maintain land in eligible condition and commonage land is no exception to this requirement.  So, in order to secure funding for hill-farmers under GLAS, the challenge is to design a scheme which manifestly goes beyondbaseline.  We also have to ensure that the commitments outlined are measureable and controllable, as this is critical to securing approval. 

The key characteristic of commonage land is that it is farmed in common and the actions undertaken under GLAS will have to reflect that.  We cannot have multiple and varying plans submitted for the commonage – we need a single plan, drawn up by a single advisor, that sets out clearly what the objectives are over a five-year period and what those participating in this plan will do, individually and together, to achieve those objectives.

My Department recognises that hill farmers have genuine concerns about these new proposals and we have attempted to address these concerns in the various public meetings that were held around the country in September and October.  We have looked at each of the issues raised and responded by either adjusting the proposed conditions of the scheme or by explaining in more detail how these will work.  We have reduced the participation level required from 80% to 50% and have further clarified that the participation rate will be calculated purely on the basis of active shareholders, which reduces the effective percentage rate still further.  We have established the Commonage Implementation Committee to help resolve cases where it proves impossible to achieve even the reduced participation rate.  We have provided lead-in time for those who require sheep to get them; we have provided for the final grazing targets to be achieved over time; and we have provided flexibility for those final grazing targets to be met by the group as a whole.  In response to concerns about the minimum and maximum grazing regimes set already, we have agreed that if the farmers on a particular commonage disagree with these, and can back up a proposal for a different regime, we will consider such proposals positively.

We have given a significant amount of freedom to the shareholders to come up with their own plan tailored to their commonage, rather than trying to impose a ‘one size fits all’ solution from above.  I believe that when farmers sit back and examine what we have actually put on the table, they will see that our proposals represent a real opportunity to improve the management of commonages and to support those who want to play an active role in restoring a traditional farming regime to the hills.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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24. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will spread the payments to farmers under the various schemes over 12 monthly payments in order to provide some income certainty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43010/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The rules governing the making of Direct Payments and other schemes including area based schemes are set out in EU regulations. Article 75.1 of Council Regulation 1306/2013 specifies that payments under the Single Payment Scheme and the Basic Payment Scheme shall be made within the period from 1 December to 30 June of the following calendar year. Payments shall be made in a maximum of two instalments within that period. The regulation further allows Member States, prior to 1 December but not before 16 October, to pay advances of up to 50 % for these direct payments.

Under Article 75.1 the same provisions apply to agri-environment schemes as and from scheme year 2018, with the exception that pay advances of up to 75% may be made. This schedule is the same as the current procedure whereby payments are made in two instalments, 75% and 25%, but not before 16 October.

It should also be noted that payments under the Area of Natural Constraints Scheme will move to this payment schedule as and from scheme year 2018. In the interim period, payments under the Area of Natural Constraints Scheme will continue to be paid in full from September of the scheme year, which is the earliest possible date for payments under this scheme.

It is therefore not possible for my Department to spread payments under these schemes into instalments over a twelve month period.