Neilie O'Leary has said that the recent changes to the commonage REPS eligibility rules will allow further land to be eligible for REPS 4 payments.

The IFA Hill Committee Chairman said that when REPS 4 was originally announced in early September the Departments specifications indicated that those farmers who purchased land with commonage attached were not eligible for REPS 4 payments on that land until a 5 year period had elapsed, with an area aid application each year.

Mr O'Leary said that following discussions with the IFA, the Department of Agriculture have now confirmed that commonage land purchased, which previously had an area aid application, is now eligible for REPS 4 payments. This amendment to REPS 4 eligibility will be warmly welcomed by hill farmers as the earlier rule would have discriminated against those hill farmers who were expanding their holdings to attain viability.

Mr. O'Leary also said that the REPS 4 changes on eligibility of these commonages for payment as well as the change in rule governing leasing commonage is a nice boost to hill farmers and makes the REPS 4 scheme a lot more attractive to them.

The IFA will continue to pursue changes to the supplementary measures for traditional and mixed grazing in order to make them more applicable in hill areas.

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