Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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279. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide details of the areas of natural constraint; when this will be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3860/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Agreement was reached during the reform of the CAP on the introduction of the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) Scheme, which will replace the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. The ANC Scheme forms part of the 2014 to 2020 Rural Development Programme, which is currently under discussion with the EU Commission. The proposal is that the existing requirements under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme will remain in place until the areas of natural constraint are delineated using soil and climatic criteria of which the following are relevant to Ireland:

- Soil, including Drainage, Texture & Stoniness, Rooting Depth;

- Soil & Climate, including Soil Moisture Balance;

- Terrain, including Slope.

An area (administrative unit) would be delineated as an Area of Natural Constraint, when it meets the proposed threshold set for one of the above criteria only. The Commission are suggesting the delineation be carried out a LAU2 level – District Electoral Division (DED) in Ireland’s case. To qualify under the new system, an area will need to show that at least two-thirds of its utilised agricultural land meets at least one of these criteria.

The resultant Areas of Natural Constraint would be subject to a fine-tuning process. These, so called, Second Stage Criteria are designed to remove areas which, although they meet the biophysical criteria, are deemed to have overcome the natural disadvantage and, therefore, should not benefit under the Scheme.

Following the finalisation of the Teagasc innovative Irish Soil Information System, which was designed to complete the national soil survey, it is now necessary to commence the comprehensive delineation of such areas in Ireland. My Department is commencing work on the initial stages of this process, which is likely to take some time before it is fully completed. As part of the agreement reached Member States must implement the new regime by 2018 at the latest.