Written Answers Nos. 356-375
356. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 3 of 25 November 2015, if he will clarify remarks made by him in that reply (details supplied); if he made contact with the appeals officer in question to qualify this earlier statement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46862/15]
View answerThere was no such contact with the Appeals Officer as the Agriculture Appeals Office is an Independent Office.
357. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has made a decision on an appeal under the single payment scheme from a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46863/15]
View answerThe person named submitted a 2015 Basic Payment Scheme/Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme application on 6 May 2015. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Ground Eligibility inspections, be completed before any payments issue.
The application of the person named was selected for a Ground Eligibility inspection. The inspection identified discrepancies between the areas declared and the area found resulting in an over-declaration in area of between 3% and 20%. Under the Terms and Conditions of these schemes, this resulted in the 2015 payments being based on the found area having been reduced by double the difference between the area found and the area declared. The person named was notified of this decision on 4 November 2015.
The person named has appealed this decision and this request is currently being examined. The person named will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible.
In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with the outcome of this review, the decision can be appealed to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office, within 3 months.
358. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Galway will receive payment under the agri-environment options scheme for 2015, given that further information has been submitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46867/15]
View answerThe person named commenced their AEOS 1 contract on 1 September 2010, and have been paid in full for the 2010-2014 scheme years.
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 take place. As 2015 is the final scheme-year of payment for the person-named, re-checks on payments made for all scheme years must be completed before final payment can be processed. It is expected that these checks will be completed shortly.
359. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the regulations governing farmers who have an outbreak of tuberculosis who specialise in beef-finishing, given that beef-finishers are restricted from purchasing livestock and can only sell to a factory, and given that farmers could be completely out of business because of the inability to have a constant supply of livestock. [46880/15]
View answerThe restrictions on buying animals into herds where the presence of TB has been confirmed and the restrictions on selling animals out of these same herds, except directly to slaughter, derive from the EU legislation governing bovine TB eradication programmes. These regulations permit farmers to buy in cattle when the herd has passed one clear TB test. Given that these requirements derive from binding EU legislation, it is not open to my Department to depart from them.
360. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the regulations governing the movement of disabled animals as they can be used by some processors as an excuse to reject animals that may have a minimal disability. [46881/15]
View answerProcedures for dealing with casualty animals are set out in the protocols of my Department’s Veterinary Public Health Inspection Service and the Local Authority Veterinary Service. While there is no obligation on any slaughter plant to process casualty animals, where an animal of this type is accepted, it is subject to the intake checks at the slaughter plant, as well as any additional examinations deemed necessary by the official veterinarian under the terms of relevant food safety and animal welfare regulation.
361. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment under the basic payment scheme and the areas of natural constraints scheme will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46918/15]
View answerThe person named submitted an application for the Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraint Schemes which was received in the Department on 6 May, 2015. Processing of the application has been finalised under both schemes, and the relevant payments have issued directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
362. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment under the basic payment scheme and the areas of natural constraints scheme will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46919/15]
View answerThe person named submitted an application for the Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraint Schemes, which was received in the Department on 7 April 2015. The Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme application has been processed and payment has issued to the nominated bank account of the person named. The person named also submitted two 2015 Private Contract Clause applications and a Review of Entitlements application to my Department. These applications are currently being processed with a view to making payment under the Basic Payment Scheme as soon as possible.
363. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if all counties are represented on the board of Bord Bia; his views that an agricultural representative from the south west is merited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46920/15]
View answerThe Board of Bord Bia statutorily consists of a Chairman and 14 Ordinary members. The Board is not constituted on a geographical basis but its make-up is determined by the Bord Bia Act(s), with Board Members to be persons with knowledge or experience of the food industry and consumer requirements. Within these statutory parameters are included representatives from key stakeholder organisations, including representatives of farmers. Other than where representative bodies are entitled to nominate a board member, all board appointments are made following an open process managed through the Public Appointments Service. For further information of the Deputy, all of the Board members are listed in the Bord Bia Annual Report which is to be found on the Bord Bia website www.bordbia.ie.
364. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the farm payments received by a person (details supplied) in County Mayo for each of the years from 2012 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46923/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is being forwarded directly to the farmer.
365. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment under the agri-environment options scheme will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46924/15]
View answerThe person named commenced their AEOS 3 contract on 1 May 2013 and has been paid in full for the 2013, 2014 and 2015 scheme years. Payment in respect of the 2015 scheme year issued in two parts: - 85% in the amount of €3,343.05 and 15% in the amount of €589.95, both issuing on 24 December 2015 .
366. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of small boat operators who are unable to fish due to bad weather and the consequent effect on quotas (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46927/15]
View answerThe Celtic Sea sentinel herring fishery is a small boat, under 18m, herring fishery operating in a specific herring spawning area off the South East Coast known as the Dunmore Box. Following two devastating collapses of the Celtic Sea Herring Fishery, the recovery plan identified the special area known as the “Dunmore Box” as an important area for herring reproduction. The Sentinel fishery was established in order to have a small fishery which would act as a sentinel or indicator of the state of the overall herring stock in the area. This sentinel fishery is in addition to the Main Celtic Sea Herring Fishery. Under current policy arrangements, the Sentinel is allocated 11% of the overall adjusted Celtic Sea Herring quota.
Following a request from the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committee in 2015, I approved extended opening arrangements for the sentinel fishery arising from the poor fishing during the bad weather. The Sentinel fishery remained open until midnight on 22 December. It re-opened at 00.01 hours on Tuesday 29 December and was closed again at midnight on 31 December. The fishery opened for 2016 on Sunday 03 January 2016 for a two to three week fishery, as requested by the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committee.
In terms of quota, under national management arrangements, quotas are allocated within the year. Under long standing policy quotas may not be carried forward into the following year in respect of individual boats or groups of boats within a fishery e.g. the sentinel herring Celtic Sea fishery. This policy protects the public ownership of quotas and protects against property rights being established which would transfer ownership of quotas into private hands. All uncaught quota is carried forward to the following year, in line with provisions of the EU Regulation. Uncaught quota may be carried forward from 2015 into 2016 up to a 25% limit of the 2015 quota. The total available quota for the year is made available to operators in line with the policy set down by the Minister for the management of the Celtic Sea Herring fishery.
The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority has provided details on the out turn for these two fisheries for 2015 as follows:
|
Quota |
Landed |
Uncaught |
|
|
Sentinel Fishery: |
2,212 t |
990 t |
1,222 t |
|
Main Fishery: |
16,895 t |
14,795 t |
2,100 t |
In view of the large amount of quota carried over from the Sentinel fishery in 2015, I have sought a recommendation from the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committee on increasing the 11% of quota allocated to the Sentinel to a higher amount for 2016, as an exceptional measure to take account of the poor fishing conditions in 2015.
Having considered a request from the National Inshore Fisheries Forum for a representative place on the Celtic Sea Herring Management Committee, I have written to the Chair of the Committee advising her that henceforth the National Inshore Fisheries Forum will be entitled to two representatives on the Committee. I hope that the representation of the NIFF on the Committee will further support the very good work of this Committee in providing advice on management arrangements for the Celtic Sea herring fishery.
367. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo is entitled to a sheep quota from the national reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46930/15]
View answerThere are no provisions under the current National Reserve measure of the Basic Payment scheme for the allocation of sheep quota.
In accordance with the EU Regulations governing the National Reserve, entitlements are allocated to eligible applicants based on one entitlement of eligible land declared by the applicant on their Basic Payment Scheme application. Priority access must be given to farmers meeting the definition of ‘young farmer’ or ‘new entrant to farming’ based on defined eligibility criteria.
The person named did not submit an application under the 2015 National Reserve.
368. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who have submitted data notifications under the beef data and genomics programme 2015; the number who have submitted the required genomic testing under the same programme to date; the number of farmers who have received payments to date for 2015; the total amount paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1011/16]
View answerTo date 21,700 applicants have submitted some or all of the required data notifications, while 22,300 applicants have submitted some or all of the required genomic samples, representing 290,000 samples.
Payments amounting to €30.2m issued to 15,914 applicants in December 2015 under the Programme. Payments will continue in the coming weeks to applicants as eligibility is confirmed.
369. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who applied to join the beef data and genomics programme; the number of these who have informed his Department that they wish to leave the programme; the number of farmers of the remainder who have failed to furnish any genomic testing results to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1012/16]
View answerA total of 29,865 applicants were accepted into the Beef Data and Genomics Programme, of which 3,200 applicants have now withdrawn.
Approximately 4,300 applicants have not, as yet, returned their genomic samples. My Department will be making contact with these herdowners in the coming weeks to remind them to submit samples to facilitate payment.
370. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will admit all eligible applicants under the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme tranche 2 into the scheme; the date from which their contracts will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1013/16]
View answerI am very pleased to say that over 14,000 applications have been submitted under the second tranche of the GLAS Scheme, which is a continuing testament to the success and attractiveness of this new agri-environment scheme.
All applications must now be assessed in line with the requirements set out in the scheme Terms and Conditions. My Department is currently processing these applications and all applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application. As I have indicated already, priority under the scheme will at all times be given to Tier 1 and Tier 2 candidates and I am happy to say that 80% of the applications received fall into these two categories.
The commencement date for GLAS Tranche 2 approved applications will be 1 January 2016.
371. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who have received payments under the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme; the average payment made to these farmers; the percentage payment made to them; if GLAS+ payments have been made yet; if not when they will be paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1014/16]
View answerAt the end of December 2015 my Department processed a first instalment of the 2015 part-year payments (covering the three month period 1 October -31 December 2015) for GLAS Tranche 1 applications. To be eligible for a part-year payment, it was necessary to have an approved start-date of 1 October 2015 for the GLAS contract start, have GLAS actions which are payable in 2015, and to have passed the Department’s payment validation checks. These first instalment payments represent up to 85% of the estimated value of the 2015 part-year payment.
Some 17,500 applicants received their first instalment 2015 payment in December, with an average payment of €650 per applicant. The Department is continuing to process applications which are eligible for a 2015 part-year payment and further payments will be processed by the end of January. The balancing payments in respect of 2015 part-year payments are scheduled to be processed in May 2016 when all GLAS 2015 inspections have been completed. This 2015 part-year balancing payment will include the GLAS+ payments for eligible applications.
It is important to note that these part-year payments are purely in respect of actions that were applicable to 2015 and cannot be used as a basis to extrapolate the average value of a GLAS contract over a full year. Farmers will only see the full value of their contracts when payments are calculated for 2016, the first full year of their five-year contracts. Current indications are that for Tranche 1 applications, the average value will be of the order of €4,200, not including any GLAS Plus payments. Current indications are that some 1,400 applications from the first tranche will qualify for GLAS Plus, increasing their annual payment to around €6,500 on average.
372. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who joined the first tranche of the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme who are eligible for GLAS+ payments; the estimated average payment that will be due to each eligible farmer for GLAS+ payments; when these payments will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1015/16]
View answerThe full details of the number of GLAS Tranche 1 applications which qualify for GLAS+ payments will only be available when full year GLAS payment calculations are finalised. The latest estimate indicates that some 1,400 Tranche 1 applications will qualify for GLAS + payments, increasing their annual payment to around €6,500 on average. GLAS + payments in respect of the 2015 part-year payments will issue as part of the 2015 balancing payment process currently scheduled for May 2016.
373. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications formally submitted for tranche 2 of the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme by the closing date of 18 December 2015 by tier; when contracts will issue to these participants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1016/16]
View answerI am very pleased to say that over 14,000 applications have been submitted under the second tranche of the GLAS Scheme, which is a continuing testament to the success and attractiveness of this new agri-environment scheme.
All applications must now be assessed in line with the requirements set out in the scheme Terms and Conditions. My Department is currently processing these applications and all applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application. The commencement date for GLAS Tranche 2 approved applications will be 1 January 2016.
The assessment process will determine the number of applications falling under each tier.
374. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of participants participating in the rural environment protection scheme, agri-environment options scheme 1, AEOS scheme 2 and AEOS scheme 3 as of 10 January 2016; the completion date for participants in each scheme; the number of farmers who have indicated that they will be transferring from the AEOS scheme to tranche 2 of the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme; the number that transferred from these schemes to tranche 1 of GLAS, in each case broken down between AEOS 1, 2 and 3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1017/16]
View answerThe information as of 10 January 2016 is set out in tabular form below:
|
- |
REPS |
AEOS 1 |
AEOS 2 |
AEOS 3 |
|
No. Participants |
1 |
(7,459) * |
5,800 |
5,771 |
|
Completion dates |
End 2016 |
(end 2015) |
End 2016 |
End 2018 |
|
Approved into GLAS 1 |
- |
1,447 |
651 |
540 |
|
Applied for GLAS 2 |
- |
3,025 |
1,152 |
737 |
* All AEOS 1 contracts expired at end 2015.
375. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who remain to be paid under the areas of natural constraints scheme for 2015 by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1018/16]
View answerThe number of eligible applicants in each county and the number of eligible applicants paid to date is set out below. Work is ongoing as a matter of priority in order to clear outstanding cases, in particular in relation to those cases, which may only have met the eligibility requirements at the end of 2015.
|
County |
Applied |
Paid |
|
Carlow |
763 |
691 |
|
Cavan |
4,890 |
4,485 |
|
Clare |
6,135 |
5,616 |
|
Cork |
7,102 |
6,381 |
|
Donegal |
8,649 |
7,553 |
|
Dublin |
151 |
118 |
|
Galway |
12,027 |
10,905 |
|
Kerry |
7,773 |
6,879 |
|
Kildare |
529 |
467 |
|
Kilkenny |
1,785 |
1,587 |
|
Laois |
1,733 |
1,549 |
|
Leitrim |
3,533 |
3,155 |
|
Limerick |
2,973 |
2,675 |
|
Longford |
2,403 |
2,178 |
|
Louth |
804 |
689 |
|
Mayo |
11,623 |
10,384 |
|
Meath |
1,358 |
1,215 |
|
Monaghan |
4,135 |
3,771 |
|
Offaly |
2,436 |
2,193 |
|
Roscommon |
5,780 |
5,190 |
|
Sligo |
4,064 |
3,645 |
|
Tipperary |
4,561 |
4,069 |
|
Waterford |
1,447 |
1,282 |
|
Westmeath |
2,698 |
2,429 |
|
Wexford |
1,509 |
1,273 |
|
Wicklow |
1,844 |
1,598 |
|
Total |
102,705 |
91,977 |
