A total of 8,773 valid applications were received under the Agri-environment Options Scheme (AEOS 1) in 2010. Of this total, 636 are still awaiting payment in respect of 2010, 40 of which are in Co. Tipperary. 3,447 applicants are awaiting payment in respect of 2011, of which 189 are in Co. Tipperary.
A total of 6,895 applications were received under the scheme in 2011 (AEOS 11). 279 applications were rejected as not meeting the terms and conditions of the scheme and the remaining 6,616 successful applicants have been informed of their acceptance into the scheme. A substantial number have also been informed of, and asked to respond to, queries arising from their application form. Of these, 297 are Co. Tipperary farmers. Under the EU Regulations governing the scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check of all applications, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. This process is well advanced for all AEOS II applications and I expect that payments will commence in June. Payments in respect of 2012 will commence later in the year.
Successive EU audits have made it absolutely clear that compliance with the Regulations must be strictly adhered to and that all administrative checks must be passed and eligibility conditions met before payment issues. As a result, my Department is obliged to ensure that individual payments will not issue until all aspects of a farmer's application are in order, all outstanding documentation provided and all queries resolved. Outstanding payments under AEOS 1 arise because of outstanding queries on applications forms which are mostly associated with digitisation or inaccurate capital investment claim forms. The re-digitisation of land parcels is a particularly complex issue which can impact not only on the agri-environment application but also the Single Payment Scheme and/or Disadvantaged Areas Scheme payments to the farmers concerned. Insofar as 2011 payments are concerned, delays in payments arise mainly due to queries in relation to the capital investment claims submitted by farmers or failure by farmers to submit claims. Despite two letters and other reminders from my Department, many farmers have either failed to submit forms or have submitted inaccurate forms.
I am conscious of the importance of these payments to farmer's incomes and my Department is making every effort to assist farmers in regularising their applications and claims for payment. Additional resources have been assigned to dealing with queries and payments will continue to issue as quickly as possible as outstanding issues are resolved.
