Written Answers Nos. 120 -129
120. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who have not completed their rural environment protection scheme participation; the dates that farmers will complete their agri-environment options schemes 1, 2 and 3; the number of farmers currently participating in each of these schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6414/15]
View answerThere are a total of 848 participants who have still to complete their REPS4 participation. Their participation in the Scheme will cease on 31 December 2015. The table below outlines the number of farmers currently participating in each of the AEOS Schemes and the dates on which they will complete their AEOS contract.
|
Scheme |
Scheme End Date |
No of Active Participants |
|
AEOS 1 |
31/12/2015 |
7,482 |
|
AEOS 2 |
31/12/2016 |
5,928 |
|
AEOS 3 |
31/12/2018 |
5,862 |
|
19,272 |
121. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress made to date in resolving the outstanding issues in relation to participation by farmers with commonage in the green low-carbon agri-environmental scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6415/15]
View answerFirstly I would like to point out that my priority is to put in place requirements for commonages that will deliver real and measurable environmental benefits and will fit within the framework of the Rural Development Regulations. In order to achieve these benefits, it is clear that the management of our commonages must be carried out in a cohesive and integrated manner. The best mechanism to do so is a common plan, drawn up by one Advisor who takes the individual circumstances of each shareholder into consideration and assigns stocking levels appropriate to the individual farmer, within the context of the overall needs of the commonage.
I have met with various hill-farmer representatives on all of these issues, I have listened very carefully to their concerns and I am now very confident that we can deliver a successful implementation strategy for these commonages. I have taken account of the issues raised and have now provided that a farmer may apply individually to join GLAS on the commonage or commonages on which they farm. I also know that the question of being excluded from the Scheme because the 50% participation rate is not reached needs to be addressed. Therefore I have made it clear that in these situations inability to reach that target will not prove a barrier to entry to the Scheme.
My focus now is to secure Commission approval of the Rural Development Programme at the earliest possible date so that I can open GLAS to applications.
122. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to include milk recording equipment as an eligible investment under the new targeted agricultural modernisation scheme; when this scheme will open in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6416/15]
View answerThe Rural Development Programme for the 2014-2020 period was submitted to the EU Commission for approval in July 2014. The following investments have been identified as priority areas which will be targeted in the TAMS scheme:
(i) dairy equipment,
(ii) low emission spreading equipment,
(iii) animal welfare and farm safety (specifically beef and sheep handling facilities) farm nutrient storage and animal housing,
(iv) pig and poultry investments in energy, water meters and medicine dispensers,
(v) organic capital investment, and
(vi) a young farmer capital investment scheme.
Milk recording equipment is not currently included as an eligible investment under the new TAMS Dairy Equipment scheme.
The new schemes can only be opened when EU Commission approval for the Programme has been received. That process is well underway but it is not possible at this stage to fix definitive dates for their introduction.
123. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide, in tabular form and for the most recent year for which the data is available, in respect of the single farm payment, the number of farmers in each county who received between €1 and €10,000; €10,001 and €20,000; €20,001 and €30,000; €30,001 and €40,000; €40,001 and €50,000; €50,001 and €60,000; €60,001 and €70,000; €70,001 and €80,000; €80,001 and €90,000; €90,001 and €100,000; €100,001 and €150,000; €150,001 and €200,000; €200,001 and €300,000; and more than €300,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6417/15]
View answerThe figures as requested by the Deputy are contained in the table below. These figures are based on 2014 applications paid to date.
|
County |
Less than 10,000 |
10 – 20,000 |
20 - 30,000 |
30 - 40,000 |
40 - 50,000 |
50 - 60,000 |
60 - 70 ,000 |
70 - 80 ,000 |
80 - 90 ,000 |
90 - 100,000 |
100 - 150,000 |
150 - 200,000 |
200 - 300,000 |
Over 300,000 |
|
Carlow |
789 |
420 |
190 |
75 |
41 |
22 |
15 |
8 |
6 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
Cavan |
3575 |
807 |
179 |
38 |
14 |
11 |
3 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Clare |
4501 |
1074 |
231 |
52 |
25 |
14 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Cork |
6956 |
3286 |
1352 |
512 |
229 |
115 |
65 |
34 |
27 |
12 |
23 |
5 |
3 |
0 |
|
Donegal |
6653 |
766 |
203 |
80 |
38 |
14 |
13 |
8 |
7 |
3 |
9 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Dublin |
349 |
131 |
48 |
24 |
10 |
7 |
10 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Galway |
9331 |
1714 |
337 |
92 |
30 |
14 |
9 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Kerry |
5668 |
1297 |
270 |
103 |
33 |
17 |
10 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Kildare |
1053 |
460 |
225 |
95 |
68 |
38 |
18 |
13 |
11 |
7 |
13 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Kilkenny |
1499 |
974 |
465 |
229 |
105 |
57 |
24 |
9 |
12 |
5 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Laois |
1491 |
758 |
317 |
142 |
70 |
32 |
12 |
19 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Leitrim |
2945 |
267 |
45 |
12 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Limerick |
3192 |
1161 |
357 |
115 |
65 |
23 |
16 |
6 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Longford |
1688 |
406 |
109 |
37 |
15 |
7 |
5 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Louth |
902 |
269 |
135 |
49 |
32 |
26 |
11 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
|
Mayo |
9802 |
1016 |
154 |
34 |
10 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Meath |
2097 |
739 |
353 |
184 |
84 |
52 |
32 |
27 |
17 |
14 |
29 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
|
Monaghan |
2959 |
663 |
159 |
44 |
21 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Offaly |
1767 |
680 |
262 |
104 |
55 |
33 |
11 |
8 |
7 |
5 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Roscommon |
4367 |
850 |
176 |
61 |
22 |
4 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Sligo |
3286 |
432 |
71 |
24 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Tipperary |
3400 |
1834 |
803 |
338 |
165 |
81 |
38 |
33 |
15 |
21 |
18 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
Waterford |
1080 |
613 |
335 |
135 |
78 |
45 |
20 |
7 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Westmeath |
1782 |
628 |
219 |
105 |
37 |
23 |
16 |
11 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
|
Wexford |
1865 |
1106 |
498 |
222 |
108 |
43 |
27 |
20 |
11 |
5 |
12 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Wicklow |
1156 |
460 |
200 |
96 |
57 |
23 |
10 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
124. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a farmer who gives a section of his farm to his child, as a new entrant to farming, can stack his own entitlements on his own land; if the child would be entitled to separate entitlements from the national reserve as a new entrant young farmer; if this young farmer would be entitled to the young farmers top-up on the basic payment and the greening payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6419/15]
View answerWhere a farmer has established entitlements on their owned holding, EU Regulations governing the scheme provide that the entitlements form part of the holding and may be transferred by sale, gift or lease using the Transfer of Entitlement or Private Contract Clause procedures provided by the Department and which are available on the Department’s website at www.agriculture.gov.ie. The consolidation/stacking of entitlements on owned land in order to create naked hectares for an allocation of entitlements from the National Reserve is not permitted under the Regulations.
In the event where entitlements, established in the normal way without stacking are below National Average value are transferred to an eligible young farmer, the entitlements will be topped up to the National Average value via the National Reserve on up to a maximum of 90 hectares. The associated greening payment will be made where eligible. The qualifying Young Farmer will also be eligible for the Young Farmer Scheme payment up to a maximum of 50 eligible hectares.
125. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider flying the amber flag from his Department buildings, on a chosen day, in order to raise awareness of the amber flag programme, which works to raise awareness of mental health issues within second level schools, sports clubs and youth organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6423/15]
View answerI welcome this worthwhile initiative which is aimed at colleges, schools, clubs and other youth organisations, the objective of which, is to encourage such organisations to put in place programmes to combat suicide and promote positive mental health.
I am informed that the Amber Flag scheme is one where the flag is earned following the introduction of mental health programs for young people within an organisation. The application form, which must be completed in order to participate in the project, requires the applicant organisation to confirm that "permission has been obtained for photos of our students to be used in conjunction with the Amber Flag initiative". Given the focus of the Amber Flag initiative, a Government department is not within the intended scope of the project; the flying of flags at Government Departments is governed by protocol to State flags.
Suicide Aware, the Voluntary Organisation that developed the Amber Flag concept, is to be commended for this initiative, in addition to its project partners, the Institute of Guidance Counsellors and the Union of Students in Ireland.
126. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a payment under the agri-environment options scheme 2013 will be granted in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6443/15]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the 2012 Agri Environment Options Scheme (AEOS 3) with effect from 1 May 2013 and payment has issued in respect of the 2013 Scheme year.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. During these checks in respect of the 2014 scheme year issues were identified in relation to the Natura action. It is expected that these issues will be resolved shortly and the application will then be processed for payment in respect of 2014.
127. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the submission that is proposed from Ireland to the European Union Commission on the new Common Agricultural Policy, including measures to simplify payments or processes; the timeframes for same; the consultation process to support same; the reason there appears to have been no formal consultation call; the mechanisms for making submissions to his Department and-or the European Commission and the contact points proposed; the specific proposals which Ireland is considering at this time, and the rationale for same; when any submission or draft will be made public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6452/15]
View answerIn line with the renewed focus of the new EU Commission on simplification, late last month the Commissioner for Agriculture wrote to all EU Ministers requesting ideas and proposals for simplifying the CAP. The Commissioner requested initial proposals by the end of February and, given the tight time frame, I have decided against a formal consultation process at this point. Of course, I and my officials are in regular contact with stakeholder organisations and would be happy to take on board their proposals.
My officials are currently working on a submission. As requested by the Commissioner, the submission will be guided by the following principles:
- Maintaining the basic decisions of the 2013 reform and concentrating on elements that can be changed within the current policy framework;
- Ensuring that there is no weakening of sound financial management or increase in error rates;
- Giving priority to practical proposals with real and tangible benefits for farmers and which reduce the administrative burden.
128. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the process that his Department is undertaking in respect of the recording and updating of hedgerow, ditch and buffer zones; the process where these areas are being considered as an ecological focus area in the new Common Agricultural Policy; the timeframes for same; the process for updating this data; the control and oversight and verification mechanisms in place to ensure the accuracy of the final data set and to ensure mature established hedgerows important for biodiversity are recognised and protected; the consultation there has been on the process; the cross-compliance implications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6453/15]
View answerThe Single Payment Scheme was replaced by the Basic Payment Scheme and Greening Payment in 2015. The Greening Payment is an important part of the CAP following the Reform that was agreed during the Irish Presidency in June 2013. The Greening Payment will amount to approximately 30% of the overall payment made to farmers under the new Regime. The three main elements of the greening requirements are as follows:
- Crop Diversification;
- Ecological Focus Areas;
- Protection of Permanent Grassland including sensitive grassland.
As the protection of permanent grassland will be applied at national level, the main two measures that will impact on farmers are Crop Diversification and Ecological Focus Areas (EFA). The farmers involved are arable growers, who will declare 10 hectares or more of arable land in 2015. Bearing in mind the complex nature of the requirements, my Department has built an on-line application facility, which will assist farmers in applying for payments under the Basic Payment Scheme and Greening Payment. Under the EFA requirements, I decided that the following landscape features and areas could be utilised by farmers in Ireland:
|
Hedgerows |
Nitrogen Fixing Crops (Protein crops) |
|
Drains |
Catch Crops |
|
Buffer Strips |
Short Rotation Coppice |
|
Field copses |
Land lying fallow |
|
BPS Eligible Forestry |
The three landscape features are hedgerows, drains and buffer strips. The others are area-related measures and can be declared as such by applicants, who select one or more of these options in their 2015 Basic Payment Scheme/Greening Payment application. My Department, using datasets from Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) and other software applications, established a database of hedgerows, drains and buffer strips for use by applicants in the on-line application. As these features were identified by electronic means, they will, of course need to be checked and verified by applicants and their advisors/consultants. When the data is verified, the on-line facility will provide applicants with the EFA contribution of each feature in all land parcels declared. The on-line application will also inform farmers whether they are compliant or not with the greening requirements based on the area details declared by them. In addition to the updating of the data by applicants and their agents, the database will be updated by the findings of eligibility inspection undertaken in 2015 and subsequent years.
With a view to assisting arable farmers and providing as much information as is possible to them before they submit their 2015 application, my Department will issue a complete set of maps outlining the landscape features in each parcel together with a comprehensive Guidance Manual to all arable farmers next week.
My Department has worked closely, and continues to do so, with the farming organisations, Teagasc and the Agricultural Consultants Association together with individual arable farmers in developing the application process in Ireland.
129. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of farmers who have about 90 acres and 34 cattle and who would be in receipt of single farm payments under €10,000, his plans to assist these persons; if a national reserve could be built up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6454/15]
View answerThe Single Payment Scheme introduced the principle of ‘decoupling’ whereby the direct payment received by a farmer was no longer linked to his agricultural production. This principle remains the foundation of the new Basic Payment Scheme that will be introduced in 2015. The number of animals held by a farmer, or any other aspects of their agricultural production, has no impact on the value of direct payment they will receive.
The most significant feature of the Basic Payment Scheme is the process of ‘convergence’ whereby farmers with low value entitlements will see the value of their entitlements increase while those with high value entitlements will see their value decrease over the five years of the scheme. By 2019, all entitlements will have a minimum value of 60% of the national average entitlement value.
In accordance with the 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. The optional use of the National Reserve for non-priority categories will be dependent on the availability of funds within the National Reserve once the two priority categories have been allocated.
