Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 January 2015
76. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a young farmer who is added to a parent's herd number this year will be entitled to entitlements from the national reserve under the young farmer's provision; if the farmer will be eligible for the TAMS top-up for young farmers and also the young farmer's top-up under the basic payment and the greening payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4131/15]
View answerIn accordance with relevant EU Regulations, priority under the National Reserve will be given to farmers meeting the definition of Young Farmer and New Entrant in the first instance. If the farmer described by the Deputy meets all of the eligibility conditions for the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme, as set out in the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme Terms and Conditions, he may qualify for both of these schemes following his inclusion on his parents herd number.
The Greening Payment is payable on eligible hectares as a percentage of the total entitlements allocated from the National Reserve.
A full list of eligibility criteria can be found in the Terms and Conditions of the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme on my Department’s website at http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/nationalreserveandyfs/.
With regard to TAMS, this scheme has been submitted to the EU Commission for approval as part of the Rural Development Programme for 2014-2020. It includes provision for an increased grant rate of 60 per cent for investments by eligible young farmers, as compared to the standard grant rate of 40 per cent which will be generally available. While it is my intention to make this enhanced rate of aid available to as wide a pool of young farmers as possible, until EU approval is to hand with the full conditions for eligibility agreed, I cannot confirm that a person in the situation described by the Deputy will definitely qualify.
