Pat Breen
Question:271. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person (details supplied) in County Clare will be facilitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5536/15]
View answerTuesday, 10 February 2015
Questions (271)
Written answers
In accordance with the relevant EU Regulation governing the National Reserve, Member States have the option of applying objective criteria in the allocation of entitlements. The application of an off farm income limit has been included as objective criteria since the introduction of the National Reserve in 2005.
The process of deciding objective criteria for the National Reserve is carried out in consultation with the Direct Payments Advisory Committee which includes members of the main farming bodies and advisory services. After consultation with this Committee in recent months and in the context of the limited funding available to the National Reserve, it was decided that an off farm income limit of €40,000 would be applied to all applicants. The corresponding off farm income limit under the previous National Reserve was €30,000. In this case, the named applicant and other a pplicants under the 2015 National Reserve have the flexibility of choosing either the 2013 or 2014 tax year, whichever is more advantageous.
Applicants must comply with all eligibility criteria including off farm income criteria in order to be deemed eligible to qualify for an allocation of entitlements under the National Reserve.