Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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297. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has received correspondence from a farmers' association (details supplied) regarding its concerns about how departmental inspectors are currently interpreting eligibility rules for upland, commonage and Natura land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9318/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that correspondence was recently received from the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association on the issue of land eligibility under the Direct Payment Schemes. My Department makes payment in excess of €1.5 billion annually to over 130,000 farmers in Ireland under EU funded or partially funded Direct Aid Schemes. Therefore, it is important that the provisions of the governing EU Regulations are adhered to in the application of these Schemes.

In accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2014 and of other relevant regulations, Member States may decide that land which can be grazed and which forms part of established local practices where grasses and other herbaceous forage are traditionally not predominant in grazing areas is to be considered to be permanent grassland. The areas as described, excluding established scrub and ungrazed heather will, in general terms, be eligible under the Basic Payment Scheme provided there is evidence of an agricultural activity being carried out. In reality, such areas were already eligible in Ireland under the Single Payment Scheme provided that there was a farming activity on the land and this remains the position under the Basic Payment Scheme. The agricultural activity required must be appropriate to the type of land involved and should ensure that the area eligible for payment remains in this state.