Minimum grazing requirement must be met

A stocking rate of at least one ewe per 1.5 hectares is the only thing a farmers with commonage will require, to get a single farm payment, according to Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney.

“Essentially, he or she will need to have one sheep for each area of between three and a half and four acres,” he said.

“If one has not been doing much farming over recent years, or if one has a very low stocking rate, one should be fine as long as one builds up a basic stocking rate before the end of next year.”