Vol. 577 No. 1
117 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if, under the decoupling proposals, he will allow farmers to claim 100% of premium with over 80% of the current land holding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30562/03]
With effect from 2005, the decoupled payment, to be known as the single payment scheme, is to be based on the average number of animals or the average number of hectares in the case of arable aid on which payments were made under the livestock premia and arable aid schemes in respect of the three reference years 2000, 2001 and 2002. The single payment is calculated by taking the three yearly average number of animals-arable hectares which attracted payment and multiplying them by the payment rate for 2002 in respect of livestock or by €383.04 per hectare in the case of arable aid. Entitlements are established by dividing this single payment amount by the average number of hectares declared on the area aid applications over the three-year period
Farmers for whom entitlements have been established must activate those entitlements in 2005 by continuing to farm and submitting an area aid declaration in that year. Under the European Council regulation, farmers must have an eligible hectare of land for each payment entitlement. However, farmers who activate only 80% of their entitlements in 2005 may sell the other 20% without land in 2006 if they so wish. Entitlements not activated in a three year period will revert to the national reserve.
