Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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831. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the hectarage of farmland designated as protected and subject to actions requiring consent; the average holding size by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16702/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Natura is made up of Special Protection Areas (SPAs), established under the EU Birds Directive (79/409/EEC), and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), established under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). Responsibility for Natura lies with the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) in Ireland.

Natura agricultural lands form a significant part of the overall eligible agricultural area within Ireland's Land Parcel Identification System and are an important resource, not only in terms of agricultural production but also in terms of biodiversity.

Each year, my Department, accepts online applications from farmers for payments under a wide range of area-based schemes, for example Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), Greening, Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) etc. These claims are recorded within the Land Parcel Identification System. It is from these agricultural areas declared by farmers that my Department has drawn the information on with regard to Natura status.

The following table gives details based on 2020 data on the number of farmers claiming on an eligible agricultural parcel that is also Natura, along with the eligible Natura area per county. It also shows the average claim per county.

2020 Natura Data