Noel Harrington
Question:225. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of payment to a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4077/16]
View answerAgri-Environment Options Scheme Payments
Questions (225)
Written answers
The person named commenced their AEOS 1 contract on 1 September 2010 and has been paid 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 it is their final scheme year, 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.
Agriculture Scheme Payments
Questions (226)
Patrick O'Donovan
Question:226. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of payment to a person (details supplied) under the young farmers scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4111/16]
View answerWritten answers
The person named submitted applications under the 2015 National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme to my Department. Under the EU Regulations governing the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme, an eligible applicant must have submitted an application under the Basic Payment Scheme in the year of application under the schemes. According to records held by my Department the person named has not applied to the Basic Payment Scheme for 2015. On this basis the person named does not meet the eligibility criteria under the National Reserve or Young Farmers Scheme. A letter has issued to the person named informing him of the decision in relation to his applications and offering the opportunity to appeal this decision.
Basic Payment Scheme Applications
Questions (227)
Patrick O'Donovan
Question:227. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when persons (details supplied) in County Wexford will receive the balance of a payment under the basic payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4112/16]
View answerWritten answers
The persons named submitted a 2015 Basic Payment /Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme application on 27 May 2015. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases on-farm or remote sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue. The application of the person named was selected for a remote sensing inspection and also a Bovine Animal Identification and Registration inspection.
The cross compliance inspection identified breaches in relation to cattle identification and registration requirements resulting in a 3% penalty being recorded against the 2015 payments. The persons named were notified of this decision on 4 June 2015. The remote sensing inspection identified discrepancies between the areas declared and the area found resulting in an over-declaration in area of under 3% and under 2ha. Under the Terms and Conditions of the Basic Payment Scheme this results in payment being based on the area found. Partial payment due on this basis issued to the nominated bank account of the persons named on 14 January 2016. The persons named were notified of this decision on 22 December 2015. The person named was also notified of the right to seek a review of these decisions. To date no request for a review has been received by my Department. In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with the outcome of any such reviews the decision can be appealed to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office, within 3 months.
Furthermore, the persons named established Entitlement Allocation Rights under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme. They formed a registered farm partnership, and submitted an application on behalf of the farm partnership under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme.
A farm partnership is a legal business arrangement where two or more individuals come together combining their respective resources to achieve mutual benefits. Members of a farm partnership who own individual sets of entitlements receive a combined payment. It is therefore incumbent that my Department identifies and ensures that entitlements held are licensed for use in the partnership. Consequently, should the partnership dissolve the entitlements return to the relevant owners. My Department has established a robust procedure to ensure the implementation and integrity of this identification process.
Processing of this application has recently been finalised, and an additional payment will issue to the nominated bank account of the Farm Partnership concerned shortly.
Agriculture Scheme Payments
Questions (228)
Charlie McConalogue
Question:228. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal under the single payment scheme and the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4115/16]
View answerWritten answers
The person named submitted an application for the 2015 Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraint Schemes which was received in the Department on 21 April 2015. Payment has issued to the nominated bank account of the person named for the Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme. The advance payment due under the Basic Payment Scheme has also issued. Further processing of the Basic Payment Scheme application is ongoing with a view to a balancing payment issuing shortly. An Official from my Department will contact the person named directly to provide an update.
The person named has been approved under Tranche 1 of GLAS with a contract start date of 1 October 2015. GLAS applicants with a start date of 1 October 2015 are entitled to a 2015 part-year payment covering the three month period 1 October 2015-31 December 2015 in respect of certain actions. During the prepayment validation checks on the application of the person named two queries were identified. Department officials are examining these issues with a view to resolving them and moving to process the application for the part-year payment as soon as possible.
Agriculture Scheme Payments
Questions (229)
Dan Neville
Question:229. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a payment to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick under the young farmers dairy aid scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4116/16]
View answerWritten answers
In early December I announced details of a direct aid package of €26.4m for the dairy sector. This support payment originates from a package of measures proposed by the EU Commission in response to the significant price deterioration experienced by primary dairy farmers in 2015. A flat rate payment of €1,395 has been paid to the c.18,000 dairy farmers in the country, and an additional top-up will be paid to those recipients who are successful applicants under the Young Farmer Scheme.
The person named received the flat rate dairy payment of €1,395 on 22 Dec 2015. If he is a successful applicant under the Young Farmer Scheme he will receive the additional top up in mid-March 2016 when that scheme has been finalised.
Agriculture Scheme Eligibility
Questions (230)
Dan Neville
Question:230. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the entitlements of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; if he will clarify the matter for the person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4121/16]
View answerWritten answers
The number of entitlements to be allocated to any one farmer under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015 is based on the number of eligible hectares declared in 2013 or 2015, whichever is lesser.
The person named declared 17.32 hectares of eligible land in 2013 and, in 2015 declared 17.32 hectares therefore he has been allocated 17.32 entitlements. The 2015 value of entitlements is based on a fixed percentage of the total value of entitlements owned by the farmer in 2014 plus the value of any payment received under the Grassland Sheep Scheme in that year. The person named had an entitlement value of €574.44 in 2014.
Under EU Regulations governing the Basic Payment Scheme all entitlements are subject to the process of internal convergence whereby the value of entitlements for some farmers will increase over the period 2015 -2019 while for others the value will decrease so that all farmers will reach at least 60% of the average value of entitlements by 2019. The estimated average value of entitlements in 2019 is €174. As the value of entitlements for the person named is below the estimated national average value of entitlements he is subject to an increase in the value of his entitlements under the internal convergence process.
In 2015 the person named has established 17.32 entitlements with an estimated unit value of €38.11 giving a total payment including greening of €951.58. By 2019, through the internal convergence process this will rise to a total payment including greening of €2,609.38. This is an increase of 354% from the 2014 position of the person named.
Payment of €668.21 including Basic Payment and Greening issued to the person named on the 19 October 2015 and second instalment payment of €258.71, issued on 1 December 2 015. The remaining 3% balancing payment will issue in April 2016.
Agriculture Schemes
Questions (231)
Pearse Doherty
Question:231. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the delay in transferring an entitlement to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal, given that all documents were returned to his Department; when outstanding payments will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4124/16]
View answerWritten answers
My Department received a Transfer of Entitlement Allocation Right and Reference Value application from the person named seeking the transfer of allocation rights and values as transferee by inheritance of holding. My Department wrote to the person named to have a Declaration of Undertaking form completed and returned. The completed form was received by my Department on 19 January 2016. In order to finalise processing of this case all land and entitlement details relating to the 2013, 2014 and 2015 scheme years requires to be reconciled. This process is now at an advanced stage and payment under the Basic Payment Scheme will issue as soon as possible.
Agriculture Scheme Applications
Questions (232)
Michael Creed
Question:232. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the schemes applied for by a person (details supplied) in County Cork in 2015, including the outstanding payments due; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4133/16]
View answerWritten answers
The person named submitted a 2015 Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme application on 21 May 2015. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.
The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing eligibility inspection. This inspection identified discrepancies between the areas declared and the area found resulting in an over-declaration in area of under 3% and under 2 hectares. The person named was notified of this decision on 23 October 2015 and of their right to seek a review of the inspection outcome. To date no such request has been received, and payment has issued to the nominated bank account of the person named in respect of both schemes.
The person named submitted an application under the Beef Data and Genomics Programme on 13 May 2015. EU Regulations governing the administration of the scheme require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases on the spot inspections, be completed before any payments issue. These checks will be finalised as soon as possible and any payment due will issue directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
The person named has also been approved under Tranche 1 of GLAS with a contract start date of 1 October 2015. GLAS applicants with a start date of 1 October 2015 are entitled to a 2015 part-year payment covering the three month period 1 October 2015-31 December 2015 in respect of certain actions.
During the prepayment validation checks on the GLAS application a query was identified. Department officials are examining this query with a view to resolving it and moving to process the application for the part-year payment as soon as possible.
Basic Payment Scheme Applications
Questions (233)
Noel Harrington
Question:233. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of farm payments to a person (details supplied) in County Cork, including when all outstanding payments will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4142/16]
View answerWritten answers
An application under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 19 May 2015. Processing of this application is now complete and payment in respect of his established allocation rights issued recently to the nominated bank account of the person named.
My Department received a 2015 Transfer of Entitlement Allocation Right and Reference Value application from the person named seeking the transfer of allocation rights and values to him as transferee by gift of holding. This application has been processed and payment will issue shortly.
Agriculture Scheme Applications
Questions (234)
Noel Harrington
Question:234. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of farm payments to a person (details supplied) in County Cork, including when all outstanding payments will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4143/16]
View answerWritten answers
An application under the 2015 Basic Payment/Area of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme was received from the person named on 22 May 2015. Processing of the Basic Payment Scheme is complete and payments have issued to the nominated bank account of the person named.
As per the Terms and Conditions of the ANC Scheme and EU Regulation 21/2004, all flock owners are obliged to count the sheep and goats in their flock on a specific date each year and return this information via the Annual Sheep Census to the Department by a specified closing date each year. The December 2014 Sheep Census had an initial closing date of 30 January 2015. This closing date was extended to 31 May 2015 for ANC payment purposes . Payment did not issue under the 2015 Area of Natural Constraints Scheme in this case as the Sheep Census return of the person named was not received until after the closing date.
Agriculture Scheme Payments
Questions (235)
Brendan Griffin
Question:235. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4158/16]
View answerWritten answers
The first person named submitted a 2015 Private Contract Clause application to my Department seeking the transfer of land and entitlements by lease as transferee from the second person named. This application has been processed and payment on foot of the entitlements that were the subject of this application was made on 29 January 2016.
The person named also submitted an application under the Young Farmers Scheme to my Department. This application has been finalised and payment is due to issue shortly.
Agriculture Schemes
Questions (236)
Dan Neville
Question:236. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 103 of 10 December 2015, if he will address a matter (details supplied) regarding an Irish Living Assessment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4185/16]
View answerWritten answers
The person named submitted an application under the ‘new entrant to farming’ category of the 2015 National Reserve to my Department. Qualifying criteria for the National Reserve is set down under EU Regulation and under objective criteria as defined by the Member State. The process of deciding objective criteria for eligibility under 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 it was decided that an off farm income limit of €40,000 would be applicable to all applicants under the 2015 National Reserve. The corresponding off farm income limit under the previous National Reserve was €30,000. Applicants under the 2015 National Reserve also have the flexibility of choosing either the 2013 or 2014 tax year, whichever is more advantageous. Officials from my Department have been in contact with the person named on a number of occasions regarding his off-farm income as submitted in support of his National Reserve application.
The person named submitted documentary evidence setting out details of off-farm income earned in America in 2014. When determining the level of off-farm income earned outside of the jurisdiction the EURO conversion is based on the currency conversion rate on the last date of the tax year in the jurisdiction in which the monies were earned. This is applied consistently across all earnings from other jurisdictions submitted in support of National Reserve applications. A "living wage calculator" is not taken into account in determining EURO equivalents for monies earned in any jurisdiction.
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. By increasing the off-farm income limit and granting a choice of reference years, I have granted the maximum possible flexibility regarding income limits for the National Reserve. As the documents submitted by the person named in relation to his off-farm income show that he exceeded the limit of €40,000 in 2014, he does not meet the eligibility criteria under the National Reserve. A letter has issued to the person named informing him of the decision in relation to this application and offering the opportunity to appeal this decision.
Agriculture Scheme Payments
Questions (237)
Dan Neville
Question:237. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of payment to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick under the single payment scheme, including if the payment will be issued without further delay; to inform the person when the payment will be made.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4187/16]
View answerWritten answers
The person named submitted a 2015 Transfer of Allocation Right and Reference Value application seeking the transfer of allocation rights and values by change of registration details of herd number. This application has been processed to facilitate payment under the Basic Payment Scheme on 2 February 2016. Payment will issue to the nominated bank account of the person named shortly.
Agri-Environment Options Scheme Applications
Questions (238)
Michael Ring
Question:238. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive payment under the agri-environment options scheme; if the checks as stated in Parliamentary Question No. 99 of 20 January 2016 have been completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4189/16]
View answerWritten answers
The person named commenced their AEOS 1 contract on 1 November 2010 and has been paid 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 it is their final scheme year re-checks on payments made for all scheme years must be completed before final payment can be processed. These checks have now been completed and payment will issue shortly.
Basic Payment Scheme Payments
Questions (239)
Brendan Griffin
Question:239. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry under the basic payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4197/16]
View answerWritten answers
The person named submitted an application under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme which was received in the Department on 24 April 2015. The processing of the application has been finalised, and payment has issued to the nominated bank account of the person named.