Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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881. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the AEOS scheme is to be extended; if not, the scheme being introduced in its place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36252/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS) opened in three tranches commencing in 2015, following the prior closure of the Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS) to new applicants.  All AEOS participants had the option of joining the GLAS scheme should they have wished to do so. 

GLAS is now fully subscribed with GLAS 1 and 2 participants due to complete their five-year contracts at the end of this year while GLAS 3 participants are currently in their fourth year.

As CAP negotiations are ongoing, 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. The intention is to rollover the existing schemes from the current RDP. The Government made provision for this extension in the Budget with an allocation of €628m for 2021. This is to ensure that scheme participants have certainty on their scheme participation next year during the transitional phase.

My Department’s 2021 Budget estimate also includes provision of €79 million for a range of agri-environment and Farm Safety initiatives. This includes the development of a pilot project to examine the feasibility of implementing a results based agri-environment approach and a number of pilot environmental actions that will be available to farmers on a broader basis. 

I expect these pilot actions to inform the development of a major new environmental scheme for agriculture following on from GLAS.