Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 16 Jun 1993

Vol. 432 No. 4

Written Answers. - Set-Aside Scheme.

Brendan Kenneally

Question:

81 Mr. Kenneally asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will favourably consider the request of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny to allow him be included under the new EC set-aside scheme under the Common Agricultural Policy reform having regard to the fact that this person was accepted under the old scheme four years ago.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. J. Walsh)

The person in question is a participant in the five year set-aside scheme provided for in Article 2 of EC Regulation No. 2328/91.

Participants in that scheme have the option of withdrawing between 1 September and 15 December in any of the years 1992 to 1996 provided that they enter the new Common Agricultural Policy reform arable scheme and fulfil its set-aside obligations.

Under the latter scheme, farmers must set-aside 15 per cent of the area which they enter in the scheme. The remaining 85 per cent must be under eligible arable crops i.e. cereals, oilseeds or protein crops sown before 15 May each year.

Compensatory amounts are payable on both sown and set-aside areas. It is not possible to claim payment only on set-aside land under this scheme, and the maximum area for which set-aside payment can be claimed is 15 per cent of the combined sown/set-aside area.

The person named did not notify my Department of his intention to withdraw from the five year scheme during the prescribed period, nor is there any record in my Department of an application from him in respect of the new Common Agricultural Policy reform scheme. The closing date for applications under the latter scheme which is laid down in EC legislation, has now expired.

In any event, since the person in question has all of his land in set-aside under the five year scheme, he would not be eligible for compensatory payments under the new Common Agricultural Policy reform scheme in respect of this land in the current year. He may, however, make arrangements with my Department to participate in future years, should he so wish.