RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2007-13EX ANTE EVALUATIONAFCon Management Consultants with Jim Dorgan AssociatesNovember 2006AbbreviationsThe RegulationUnless indicated otherwise this refers to Regulation 1698/2005BMWBorder Midland and Western RegionCAsDesignated Areas (Less Favoured Areas) Compensatory Amounts CAP RDPCAP Rural Development Programme 2000-06 DAFDepartment of Agriculture and FoodDCGRADepartment of Community Gaeltacht and Rural AffairsEAFRD European Agricultural Fund for Rural DevelopmentEAGGFEuropean Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee FundEUAEnvironmental Impact AssessmentERSEarly Retirement SchemeFFIFamily Farm IncomeGFPCode of Good Farmer PracticeIASYoung Farmer Installation Aid SchemeLAGLocal Area GroupsLEADEREU Community Initiative for rural developmentLFAsLess Favoured Areas, Designated AreasLULivestock UnitsNDPNational Development ProgrammeNFSNational Farm SurveyRD StrategyRural Development National Strategy Plan 2007-13RDPRural Development PlanREPSRural Environment Protection SchemeSACSpecial Areas of ConservationSEAStrategic Environmental AssessmentSESouth and Eastern RegionSFPSingle Farm PaymentSPASpecial Protection AreaUAAUtilisable Agricultural AreaTable of ContentsAbbreviationsSummary, Conclusions and RecommendationsIEX ANTE EVALUATION OF THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN11.BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION11.1 Purpose and Scope of Ex-Ante Evaluation11.2 Council Regulation 1698/2005 and changes from previous Regulations11.3 The regulatory framework for ex ante evaluation21.4 Structure of ex-ante Evaluation Report31.5 Sources of Information42.DRAFT RDP (2007-2013) RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES62.1.Structure of the Plan and compliance with EC Regulation EC62.1.1 Evaluators comments on structure and content of plan82.1.2 Summary of Plan92.1.3 Problems RDP is expected to address102.1.4 SWOT Analysis132.2.Identification of Target Groups and Needs152.3.Problems not addressed by the implementation of the Programme153.OBJECTIVES OF PLAN163.1.Overall policy objectives and expected impacts163.2.Policy objectives and expected impacts Axis 1173.3.Policy objectives and expected impacts Axis 2173.4.Coherence of Programme objectives with NDP194. Proposed Measures204.1 Summary of Measures and their relationship to overall objectives.204.2 Lessons Learned and taken into account in designing the draft programme214.3Measures Axis 1 Competitiveness234.3.1 Introduction234.3.2 Early Retirement Scheme and Installation Aid Measures234.3.3 Farm Improvement Measures334.3.4 Afforestation Axis 1 Measures394.4 Measures Axis 2454.4.1 Introduction454.Sub-Total Axis 2474.4.2 Less Favoured Areas Compensatory Amounts474.4.3 Agri Environment (REPS) and Natura 2000554.4.4AFFORESTATION AXIS 2 MEASURES (221-227)644.4.5 Animal Welfare, Recording and Breeding Scheme for Suckler Herds734.5 Axis 3 and 4 Rural Quality of Life and LEADER Implementation754.5.1Introduction754.5.2 Axis 3 Measures765. ADDED VALUE OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT856.MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEMS867.Strategic Environmental Assessment877.1 Definition and Scope of Strategic Environmental Assessment877.2Outline description of the Measures proposed877.3 Baseline Environmental Information877.4 Anticipated Environmental Effects arising from Axis 1 Measures887.5. Anticipated Environmental Effects arising from Axis 2 Measures897.6. Anticipated Environmental Effects arising from Axis 3 & 4 Measures907.7 Alternatives to the Programme917.8Monitoring of the Environmental Effects of the Proposed Programme91 Executive Summary1.1Introduction The ex-ante evaluation of the national Rural Development Plan (RDP) for the programming period 2007-2013 is based on and elaborates on the Ireland Rural Development National Strategy Plan (2007-2013) and Council Regulation 1698/2005 (the Regulation) on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The draft plan has now been subjected to an ex-ante evaluation and strategic environmental assessment covering:o Analysis of the problems that the proposed programme seeks to addresso The proposed response (measures)o The anticipated results and impact of the programmeo The extent to which the Communitys priorities have been taken into account in the programme.o The quality of procedures for programme management including monitoring and evaluationThe RDP is a plan that seeks to identify specific problems associated with the rural economy and rural environment and respond to those problems with measures that are appropriate, effective and in line with the requirements of the Regulation. The plan is not a compr