Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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400. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which the package currently on offer to farmers with lands sterilised due to the hen harrier differs from the detail announced in early 2015; if he will address the situation to ensure that landowners can avail of the provisions promised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38355/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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In the first instance, I would like to clarify that neither I nor my Department have any role in the designation of areas preserved for the hen harrier. That function is exercised through the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional and Rural Affairs.

However, my Department has been active in developing agri-environment measures under the Rural Development Programme targeted at farmers in these areas which are designed to  incentivise farming practices and interventions which will benefit the hen harrier. Farmers with hen-harrier land already have priority access to  GLAS and I have also provided that such farmers will be automatically approved for GLAS Plus, should they be farming sufficient area of habitat. In this way, Farmers can earn up to €7,000 per annum through a combination of GLAS and GLAS Plus payments.

My Department is currently in negotiations with the EU Commission regarding a further scheme of assistance by means of a locally led Agri-Environment measure. This will mean that farmers in areas which have been designated for the hen harrier, and particularly those managing large tracts of hen-harrier habitat, will be able to avail of further assistance over and above what is available to them under GLAS. In so far as this differs from what was discussed previously, the main difference is that payments under the new scheme will be calculated on the basis of actions and results, rather than calculated on area. This is a requirement of measures like this brought in under Article 35 of the Rural Development Regulation, which allows much more flexibility on the ground than GLAS. As a result, the new scheme can actually be designed and developed at local level across all hen harrier areas, working closely with farmers and their representatives on the ground.