Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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105. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he will announce details of the hen harrier scheme or the locally-led environment scheme announced recently; when applications will be accepted; if farmers who apply to join these schemes will be able to amend their green low-carbon agri-environment plans to maximise their payments under the two schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41915/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In the first instance, I would like to point out that I have already provided for a significant framework of support for farmers with hen-harrier through GLAS. Farmers with land identified as important for the bird are guaranteed access to the scheme as priority candidates in Tier One of GLAS. I have also provided that such farmers will be automatically approved for GLAS Plus should they be farming sufficient area of habitat. I would strongly encourage all farmers with hen-harrier land to take up this measure under GLAS, which offers a payment rate of €370 per hectare. Farmers can earn up to €7,000 per annum through a combination of GLAS and GLAS Plus payments and some 1,400 hen-harrier farmers have already been approved into the new scheme.

In addition, I have recently announced that I intend to introduce a further scheme of assistance under the Locally Led Agri-Environment measure, to cater for farmers who are farming large tracts of hen-harrier land. One of the principles of the planned locally-led measure is to explore new ways of managing farming effort for the benefit of the environment, and in this case for the benefit of the hen-harrier. The detail of what type of actions will be applied under this new scheme is still being developed and this in turn will direct how the Locally Led Scheme interfaces with GLAS.

When the new scheme is designed, it has then to be negotiated with the EU Commission and formally introduced by amendment to the Rural Development Programme. I expect that this process will be concluded early next year. However, only one amendment of the RDP is allowed annually, which means that a number of items will be bundled together and presented for approval at the same time. The proposed amendment is necessary to get EU approval not alone for the new Hen Harrier scheme, but also for the various other locally-led schemes that I intend to introduce. After approval has been received I will be in a position to open a Hen-Harrier Scheme.