Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 November 2016
259. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out the status of the latest EU proposals regarding the definition of an active EU farmer and application at member state level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35692/16]
View answerThe definition of an active farmer has been discussed recently in the context of the so-called Omnibus Regulation, which proposes to give effect to the Commission's mid-term review of the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020, while also making some changes to the CAP regulations in the interest of achieving further simplification.
As regards the definition of an active farmer, the Commission has acknowledged that the application of the existing criteria has proven very difficult for Member States, and that the costs associated with its implementation outweigh the benefits to be derived from excluding a very small number of farmers. It is therefore proposing that the application of the active farmer definition should be optional for Member States.
From Ireland's perspective, we are very much in agreement with the Commission's view. Extensive checks have been carried out in my Department, involving all 132,000 farmers, and I can confirm that no farmer in 2015 was excluded from receiving the Basic Payment Scheme as a consequence of failing the active farmer criteria. It is our understanding that other Member States had similar results, despite extensive and costly administrative checks. On this basis, Ireland is very supportive of the proposal to make the application of the active farmer definition optional for Member States.
