Statements by the Minister for Agriculture.

The Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney gave the following responses to Andrew Doyle T.D., Michael Healy Rae T.D. and Joe McHugh T.D. to questions that they raised in the Dail yesterday. There is nothing very new in any of the responses but they do give some indication of Department of Agriculture policy on the commonage issue.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
1170. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the July 2013 report that was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas entitled Review of Commonage Lands and Framework Management Plans produced by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine; his views on the ten recommendations contained in this report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37246/13]
Simon Coveney (Minister, Department of Agriculture, the Marine and Food; Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source
The report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture is a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate regarding the issues surrounding commonage lands, the views of the various stakeholders having being sought and considered by the Committee. As I have indicated previously, while it is generally accepted that this is a very complex matter and requires a very detailed action plan to cover the various issues, I intend in the near future to set out proposals on how these matters will be progressed. My firm intention is that the process will be fully inclusive and that all stakeholders, particularly farmers and their representatives will be central to the process. It is only by adopting this approach that the desired result can be achieved.
With regard to the specific recommendations of the Committee contained in their Report, I can confirm that these will be included among the range of issues to be addressed in the process that will shortly be commenced by my Department - it very clear that matters to be resolved are very wide ranging and complex; it is self-evident that the process required to adequately address these must be fully inclusive and focused. To this end, I am determined, as indicated, to convene a broad group of all relevant stakeholders, charged with comprehensively addressing the range of issues.
Commonage lands form an important part of the farming enterprises of many farmers, particularly along the West Coast. They also form an important part of the local environment from the point of view of bio-diversity, wildlife, amenities and economic returns e.g. tourism. However, there is a substantial risk of land abandonment as under-grazing becomes more of a problem.
Under-grazing leads to an increase in ineligible land under Direct Aid and Agri-Environment Schemes and leads to risk of financial corrections being imposed by EU Commission. It is vital, therefore, to maintain the commonages in GAEC (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition), or where there is under-grazing, to return the habitat to GAEC. It is my stated aim that this will be achieved by working with the farmers directly managing the lands, relevant State Agencies, the farming organisations and all other interested stakeholders


Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
1168. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the EU policies that have resulted in the de-stocking of many hills over the past number of years which has resulted in areas becoming overgrown (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37186/13]
Simon Coveney (Minister, Department of Agriculture, the Marine and Food; Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source
Commonage lands form an important part of the farming enterprises of many farmers, particularly along the West Coast. They also form an important part of the local environment from the point of view of bio-diversity, wildlife, amenities and economic returns e.g. tourism. However, there is a substantial risk of land abandonment as under-grazing becomes more of a problem.
Under-grazing leads to an increase in ineligible land under Direct Aid and Agri-Environment Schemes and leads to risk of financial corrections being imposed by EU Commission. It is vital, therefore, to maintain the commonages in GAEC (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition), or where there is under-grazing, to return the habitat to GAEC. It is my stated aim that this will be achieved by working with the farmers directly managing the lands, relevant State Agencies, the farming organisations and all other interested stakeholders.
In terms of support for those farming commonage lands, it should not be lost sight of that support is already provided through a range of Schemes, including the Single Farm Payment Scheme, Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and the Grassland Sheep Scheme, among others, including environmental support measures. The Grassland Sheep Scheme and the related Sheep Technology Adoption Programme are particularly supportive of farmers with commonage lands, albeit that neither is specifically confined to those farming commonage lands only.
The Grassland Sheep Scheme, as originally implemented, was to run for three years: 2010, 2011 and 2012, with an annual budget of €18 million. However, as the Deputy will be aware, I was in a position to secure funding which allows the Scheme continue for a fourth year, notwithstanding continued adverse budgetary conditions, albeit with adjusted funding of €14 million.
I also decided to make funding of €3 million available for a new Sheep Technology Adoption Programme, which concept has already proven very successful in both the dairy and beef sectors, with a maximum payment of €1,000 per participant. It is important that sheep farmers take action to increase and maximise their income from their enterprises. This can be achieved by improving breeding, animal health/welfare and grazing regimes. The dairy sector has demonstrated that the discussion group concept to achieve such improvements. Notwithstanding the financial adjustment made to the overall funding to the Grassland Sheep Scheme, hill sheep farmers, who join a Sheep Discussion Group will find that the aid they will receive in 2013 will increase by almost €590.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
1165. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of commonages in County Donegal and his views on those properties in view of the report on the review of commonage lands and framework management plans. [37044/13]
Simon Coveney (Minister, Department of Agriculture, the Marine and Food; Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source
Commonage lands form an important part of the farming enterprises of many farmers, particularly along the West Coast. They also form an important part of the local environment from the point of view of bio-diversity, wildlife, amenities and economic returns e.g. tourism. However, there is a substantial risk of land abandonment as under-grazing becomes more of a problem.
Under-grazing leads to an increase in ineligible land under Direct Aid and Agri-Environment Schemes and leads to risk of financial corrections being imposed by EU Commission. It is vital, therefore, to maintain the commonages in GAEC (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition), or where there is under-grazing, to return the habitat to GAEC. It is my stated aim that this will be achieved by working with the farmers directly managing the lands, relevant State Agencies, the farming organisations and all other interested stakeholders.
I readily acknowledge that it will not be an easy task, but it is achievable if all stakeholders work in a co-operative basis. If action is not taken now, the areas will continue to deteriorate and will lead to more land abandonment. If this is allowed to happen, Ireland will lose a valuable resource from the point of view of farming, rural economy, bio-diversity and wildlife. While grazing is the only method of managing these lands, the task facing us is how to ensure that these grazing levels are appropriate to the individual commonages.
In order to ensure that the achievement of this objective, as already stated, we need the input of individual shareholders. Grazing plans, at the level of each commonage, will allow for greater flexibility for shareholders and will enable the active farmers to increase their stock to cater for dormant and inactive persons. It will be matter for agreement between the shareholders – as was always the case – to decide how best to reach the stocking levels. Professional assistance will be required, in particular where the commonage has been damaged by under-grazing.
The Grazing Plan will have to cater the traditional farming methods for the area, with provision made for sheep and other animals, such as cattle, providing that they are appropriate to the habitat. An appropriate time-scale will have to be put in place but the Plan should include the incremental steps to achieve GAEC. The whole concept will be output driven, in that the assessment of the Plans will be based on whether the commonage is in GAEC or not or whether the appropriate progress has been achieved.
Apart from ensuring that the Grazing Plan is valid, there are a number of other complications, including:
- Dormant shareholders – in the majority of cases, these persons are no longer farming;
- Current claimants on the commonages, who do not farm or manage the lands. The issue of whether the latter claimants will continue to be eligible for payment will have to be examined.
There are other issues that will need to be considered. These include the fact that many commonage habitats have been significantly damaged by under-grazing, with resulting problems that must be addressed including land abandonment, spread of scrub and invasive species.
The report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture is a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate regarding the issues surrounding commonage lands, the views of the various stakeholders having being sought and considered by the Committee. As I have indicated previously, while it is generally accepted that this is a very complex matter and requires a very detailed action plan to cover the various issues, I intend to set out proposals on how these matters will be progressed in the near future. My firm intention is that the process will be fully inclusive and that all stakeholders, particularly farmers and their representatives will be central to the process. It is only by adopting this approach that the desired result can be achieved.