Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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1390. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the new hen harrier scheme; when details of the new scheme will be published and open for applications; when first payments will issue; the budget allocated under the Rural Development Programme, RDP, 2014 to 2020 to this scheme; and the amount of funds expended to date under the relevant RDP measure. [38606/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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At the outset, I should stress that this is a locally led scheme which is not directly administered by my Department. The design and management of the scheme are primarily matters for the local project team, who will work closely with my Department, as the scheme is rolled out.  

The design work for the new scheme has already commenced following the appointment of a locally led Project Team earlier this year. The Project Team has now completed a series of consultation meetings with farmers in the six designated Hen Harrier Special Protected Areas (SPAs), at which more than 500 farmers attended. A seminar for advisors is planned for next week, with training courses planned for December 2017 and May/June 2018. The scientific officers in the team have carried out Hen Harrier monitoring in all SACs and preliminary results from this campaign will be available within weeks. Work is also progressing on detailed Terms & Conditions for the new Scheme. 

I understand that the first farmers will be invited to apply for the Locally-Led Scheme for the Conservation of the Hen Harrier in the latter months of 2017. Unlike other schemes, the new hen-harrier scheme will not be tied to calendar years and this provides for greater flexibility in both recruitment and payment. At this point in time I have no firm projections for payments in relation to 2017 or 2018 – this is something the Project Team is examining and will advise my Department in due course.   

A budget of some €25 million has been allocated for this scheme. It is worth noting that a significant framework of support for farmers with hen-harrier designated land is already in place through my Department's agri-environment scheme GLAS.  Under GLAS, farmers with hen harrier habitat qualify for a payment of €370 per hectare and can earn up to €7,000 per annum through a combination of GLAS and GLAS Plus payments.  The GLAS Hen Harrier action has proved hugely successful, with some 2,678 farmers now signed up. This accounts for almost 70% of all farmers with hen harrier habitat and represents a major step forward in the conservation of the bird and in securing important additional income for the farmers concerned.