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Grant Payments

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 November 2021

Wednesday, 10 November 2021

Questions (272)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

272. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter for a person (details supplied) regarding organic payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55060/21]

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Written answers

The person named above is an applicant in the Department’s Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) with a contract start date of 1st January 2019.

When processing an Organic Farming Scheme payment, the reference area is used to calculate the payment due.  Where the claimed area is greater than the reference area, a reduction and/or a penalty may apply.

The determined area is the area of Organic land, less land that receives a payment under the Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme.  This information is supplied from the participants annual submission under the Basic Payment Scheme.  

In 2019, the organic area claimed by the person named was 39.2 hectares.  The determined area, or reference area for 2019 is 36.85 hectares. The reference area of a land parcel excludes all ineligible items such as farm roads, trees, streams and scrub. 

In accordance with the governing scheme conditions, where a percentage overclaim is greater than two hectares or 3% but not more than 20% of the area determined, a penalty will apply.

The organic claimed area in this instance was greater than the determined area by 6.38%. This has resulted in an area reduction and a penalty being applied to the payment. A letter will issue this week to the person named above giving the opportunity to appeal the original decision and to clarify the reason for the reduction.

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