Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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407. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason the requirement that a horse has given birth to a foal in the previous three years in order to qualify as suitable under the disadvantaged areas scheme was changed to a horse having given birth to a foal in the previous two years under the terms and conditions of the new areas of natural constraints scheme; his views that farmers who own horses may not be aware of this change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20324/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The new Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme introduced under the provisions of Rural Development Regulation (EU 1305/2013), replaces the previous Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. The scheme is very important for this country, especially from an economic perspective, as it is envisaged it will contribute to the support of almost 100,000 Irish farm families. To ensure continued support for equine enterprises under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme, technical adjustments were necessary from the previous scheme to ensure that the aid payment is focused on farmers whose equine enterprises continue to make significant contributions to the maintenance of a viable rural community, thus achieving the objectives of the Scheme, which are defined in the governing EU legislation as follows:

The new Scheme requires applicants to maintain 0.15 Livestock units per forage hectare of the holding calculated over the twelve months of the calendar year 2015. While horses are not eligible for the stocking density calculation under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme, equine breeding enterprises will continue to be eligible on the basis of the contribution they make to the local economy. Equine breeding enterprises are defined as follows: an applicant must, in the first instance, be an equine breeder and have bred a foal, from a mare registered as on the applicant’s holding in 2014, in either 2013 or 2014, which was registered in a Stud Book approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with pedigree recorded (sire and dam).