Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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21. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the commonage implementation committee will meet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4852/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I recently appointed a new chair of the independent Commonage Implementation Committee. 

Since that appointment on 23 November 2016 the committee has met twice - on 21 December 2016 and on 27 January 2017.  A date for the next meeting of the committee will be fixed by the chairperson, in consultation with committee members, in due course to ensure timely responses to such issues as may be referred for the committee’s consideration from time to time.

The remit of the committee is to make recommendations in cases;

- where there is disagreement between shareholders on a commonage,

- where dissatisfaction with the assigned commonage advisor is expressed, or

- where individual shareholders request a derogation from the minimum stock numbers to be carried by them for the duration of the commonage management plan.

To date, the number of issues presenting for the committee's attention is less than originally expected. This reflects the level of co-operation that exists between all stakeholders and the genuine efforts by all concerned to put in place workable solutions where difficulties arise.  I do, however, expect that over the coming months, as Commonage Management Plans are further developed, to see a number of referrals to the committee in instances where some shareholders may have difficulty in achieving their individual minimum stocking requirements.

Commonage represents a significant proportion of all lands declared annually for the purposes of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and other direct payments.  Approximately 7% of all land declared annually on BPS by 14,000 separate farmers is commonage, with over 6,500 already participating in GLAS 1 or GLAS 2. This figure is expected to rise to in excess of 9,000 in 2017 as a further 2,700 commonage farmers who have applied for GLAS 3 are approved into the Scheme. 

The basis for payment under GLAS is in respect of actions which are above the baseline requirements for the Basic Payment Scheme. This requires a Commonage Management Plan for all GLAS shareholders farming commonages greater than 10 hectares in size.  This  will mean an individual stocking requirement for each shareholder and a move to the management of the commonage under GLAS by means of a single Commonage Management Plan, where shareholders work together to manage the grazing effort and any other actions required (for example to conserve habitats or bird species). In recognition of this, the rate of payment for commonages has been increased from €75/ha under the previous Rural Development Programme to €120/ha for the current Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020.