Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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517. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the AEOS 3 scheme which comes to an end in 2018 will be extended for another year in view of the fact that there is no alternative scheme available to persons leaving the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41754/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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There are no plans to reopen or extend the Agri-Environment Options and Natura Schemes (AEOS) or the subsequent agri-environment scheme GLAS (the Green, Low-Carbon, Agri-Environment Scheme), which is now fully subscribed with the RDP target of 50,000 participants met well ahead of schedule. It was open to AEOS participants to apply to join GLAS, and to terminate their AEOS contract. A large number of AEOS3 participants did take up this option. Our focus now is on continuing the full implementation of the GLAS scheme and ensuring that the 2018 advance payments commence as scheduled before the end of November.

Agri-environment policy is included in the CAP reform negotiations currently under way and any future scheme will be dependent on the outcome of these negotiations.