Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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268. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the GLAS scheme is due to be phased out this year; if so, his plans for a scheme to replace it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27466/20]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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276. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the commitment in the programme for Government for a new REPS 2 programme will be in addition to the national co-financing commitment from the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27599/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 268 and 276 together.

Existing contracts under the GLAS 1 and GLAS 2 schemes finish at the end of this year. GLAS 3 contracts will finish at the end of 2021.

In relation to the arrangements for 2021, my Department is pressing for the earliest adoption of EU regulations to facilitate the operation of schemes in the period between the current CAP and the CAP Strategic Plan post-2020.  Once the regulatory framework has been determined, we will be in a position to make decisions about the next period. This will provide legal and financial certainty and consequently provide clarity on the next steps.

As indicated in the Programme for Government, it is proposed that €1.5 billion will be allocated, from the proposed Climate Action Fund over the next ten years, to a rural environment protection programme to encourage and incentivise farmers to farm in a greener and more sustainable way. The funding from the CAP for such programmes is co-funded nationally.  The Programme for Government states that this €1.5 billion allocation from the Fund over the ten years will be additional to CAP funding.  The planning and funding for this scheme will be matters for discussion as part of the planning for the next CAP programming period.