I can assure the Deputy, and the wider farming community, that my Department is committed to allocating such resources as is necessary to ensure that the essential digitisation of applicants' maps onto the Department's Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) and the processing of payments are proceeding as quickly as possible . However, I must emphasise that any failings or shortcomings in LPIS would leave the Department open to the very real risk of significant fines. I am not prepared to take such a risk, nor will I compromise the value of direct payments to Irish farmers.
I again wish to state categorically that there are no delays in payments to farmers under either the Single Farm Payment Scheme or the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. In the case of the SFP, the earliest payment date under the governing EU rules is 1 December, while in respect of DAS there is no regulatory payment date — however, it is generally recognised and indeed acknowledged in the Farmers' Charter, that a payment target of late September of the year in question is the most realistic.
In the case of the Single Farm Payment, it should be remembered that, while the earliest payment date provided for under EU rules is 1 December, I am acutely aware of the significance to the wider rural economy of the Single Payment. Therefore earlier this year, I successfully sought the approval of the Commissioner to have advance payments made as and from 17 October. This is the earliest possible legal date for making payments, being the start of the new EU financial year. Following this agreement to my request for an advance payment of the SFP, I set a very demanding schedule of payments for the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and the Single Payment Scheme, with payment of DAS scheduled for 22 September, the 50% advance of the SFP scheduled for 17 October and the 50% balance of the SFP scheduled for 1 December. I am pleased to say that the DAS payments commenced on target and €180m has been paid to date. This week €475m will be paid to 100,000 farmers in advance payments for the SFP. In all cases, my Department will continue to make multiple payment runs, under both schemes, on a weekly basis, to pay farmers as their applications become fully processed and cleared.
I fully appreciate the value and importance of these schemes to Irish farmers and remain committed to ensuring that the maximum numbers are paid at the earliest possible date, mindful, of course, of the over-riding necessity to ensure compliance with the governing EU requirements. I note that Ireland continues to be among the very first countries throughout the EU to be in a position to make such payments and perhaps sight should not be lost of this fact.