Rules for land eligibility issued by Dept

The estimated 5,000 hectares burned in recent gorse fires is not eligible for the Direct Payment Schemes, according to the clarification of rules for land eligibility issued by the Department of Agriculture on Tuesday.

Where land has been burned, it is not in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation and therefore is not eligible, according to the 29-page Guide to Land Eligibility booklet which will be issued in the coming days, to all farmers in Ireland.

The exception to this rule is where controlled burning is carried out in full compliance with all relevant environmental legislative requirements and any other lawful requirements, having first consulted with and notified the Gardaí and the local fire service. In the case of Natura lands (lands designated as SAC and/or SPA), prior approval must be obtained through the Activities Requiring Consent (ARC) system as implemented by NPWS.

The booklet also specifies that scrub cannot be removed between March 1 and August 31, and farmers must comply with the Department’s environmental impact assessment regulations.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney said “This is a very important year for farmers in submitting their applications under the Direct Payment Schemes. In order to protect their payments under these schemes, farmers should ensure that the areas they declare for payment are fully eligible for payment. I believe that the eligibility booklet will be of benefit to farmers in arriving at their conclusions and allow them to submit a fully complete application”.

The Department has also put in place a helpline (0761-064425) to assist farmers who may have questions on land eligibility.

The eligibility booklet will also be sent to all agricultural advisors and consultants who assist farmers in submitting their Direct Payment applications.

The Department has also arranged to hold information meetings on land eligibility for these agricultural advisors and consultants, starting tonight in Co Leitrim, followed next Tuesday in Kilkenny, next Wednesday in Charleville, Co Cork; and next Thursday in Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

The booklet confirms that land with heather which is not grazed and has become mature and woody is not eligible. But land remains eligible, with low, immature heather which is grazed. Tall or dense rushes not being accessed by grazing animals, or ferns with no grass underneath, render land ineligible. Also deducted as 100% ineligible are areas under dense scrub with no interspersed grazing, and areas permanently too wet for animals or machinery.