The Deputy will be fully aware of the value of the EU funded Direct Payment Schemes to Ireland. Each year farmers in Ireland benefit from funding of over €1.5 billion under Schemes such as the Single Farm Payment Scheme, the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, the Agri-Environment Schemes, etc. This comprises the entire net income of many thousands of Irish farmers.
The European Commission has an obligation to ensure that Member States manage and use the EU funding granted to them in accordance with the very restrictive provisions governing the Schemes and general financial provisions. All of the lands declared by farmers must be eligible if these lands benefit from payment under one of more of these Schemes. My Department is currently carrying out a comprehensive exercise by excluding ineligible features, such as houses, roads, scrub, rivers, etc. in land parcels declared by farmers. In the vast majority of cases, the exclusion has no impact on payments as the farmers in question have taken a prudent approach and reduced the declared area to take account of the ineligible feature. No cutbacks have been applied on eligible land. area to take account of the ineligible feature. For example, areas of heather, which are actively managed and controlled, are fully eligible for payment. Deductions for heather are only made where the plant has become woody indicating that management practices are not sufficient. Gorse or woodland foliage are not eligible nor can they be deemed eligible in any state as they are not a herbaceous plant and hence do not meet the terms for eligibility as laid down in the EU Regulations.
As the Review exercise remains ongoing at present, it is not feasible to collate the data sought by the Deputy. However, data is being extracted and compiled and will be provided directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Insofar as the 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme is concerned, while the Terms and Conditions governing the 2014 Scheme have yet to be finalised, it is not anticipated that there will be any significant changes introduced.
Payments under the 2013 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme commenced, on schedule, on 25 September and, to date, payments worth €195,511,959 have issued nationally, to some 93,155 applicants, with payments continuing to issue on a twice weekly basis, with individual cases being paid as they are confirmed eligible. In respect of County Donegal, the payments made are worth some €17,199,637; details as follows:
2013 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme
|
Numbers applied
|
Numbers paid
|
Value of payments
|
|
7,892
|
7,510
|
€17,199,637
|
While the majority of those as yet unpaid have not yet satisfied the Scheme minimum stocking density requirements, for those who did satisfy these requirements, confirmation of compliance is via manual records - these are applicants who satisfy the requirements by virtue of having held sheep and/or equines (horses/donkeys), but whose stock details are not available electronically. These farmers submit their flock registers and horse/donkey passports for noting. There is a volume of these currently being processed.
