Written Answers Nos. 457-475
457. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding an area aid appeal in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41924/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraA review of the land parcels declared by the person named under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme revealed that several of the land parcels declared by the person named contained ineligible features. Following the review of my Department’s decision, sought by the person named, a visit by a Department official to verify the position on the ground is necessary. The person named will be advised, in writing, of the findings of the verification visit as soon as possible following the visit.
458. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a penalty applied to a disadvantaged area scheme payment in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41934/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraA review of the land parcels declared by the person named under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme revealed that a number of the land parcels declared by the person named contained ineligible features. The over-claims identified represented a reduction of between 3% and 20% of the area declared by the person named. While the total financial penalty imposed under the Disadvantaged Area Scheme is €196.33, none of this sum has yet been recouped. The person named was notified of this decision and of his right of appeal. To date no such appeal has been received. It remains open to the person named to appeal, should he so wish.
459. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41949/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Single Farm Payment Scheme was received from the person named on 14 April 2014. Processing has been finalised and advance payment issued to the nominated bank account on 16 October 2014. An official from my Department has been in direct contact with the person named to clarify the position regarding the minor overpayment involved, and the options available should the person named wish to appeal.
460. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the reduction in hectares in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41950/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraA 2014 Single Payment Scheme and Disadvantaged Areas Scheme application was received in my Department from the person named on 9 April 2014. Payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and the 50% advance of the Single Payment Scheme payment subsequently issued to the nominated bank account of the person named on 15 and 16 October respectively. However, due to an administrative error the payments issued on a reduced area. The area error has been corrected and a supplementary payment will issue to the person named as soon as possible. A letter explaining the situation will issue to the person named.
461. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the first instalment under the single farm payment 2014 will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay in issuing this payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42026/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Single Payment Scheme was received in my Department from the person named on 11 March 2014. Advance payment issued to the nominated bank account of the person named on 3 November 2014.
462. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers subject to an on-farm and satellite inspection for land eligibility in 2014; the number of those cases that have been sent for digitisation; the number that have had their digitisation complete; the number of those inspection cases that have received their disadvantaged area payment; the number that have received their single farm payment advance payment; when he expects the outstanding payments in respect of these inspection cases to be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42071/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department, in the context of delivering the Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, and other area based schemes, is required to carry out an annual round of inspections, both in the field and by means of Remote Sensing, to ensure the eligibility of land declared to drawdown payments. The basis of these inspections is governed by EU legislation and there are minimum numbers that must be conducted each year.
Land eligibility checks must be carried out on at least 5% of applicants. In response to concerns about the impact of on-the-ground inspections on farmers, 6,715 cases or some 85% of the required 2014 inspections are initially being carried out without the need for a farm visit as the information needed is acquired using the technique of remote sensing via satellite.
The EU Regulations governing Remote Sensing inspections also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land.
My Department continues, on a daily basis, to process applications to finalisation with the intention of issuing any payments due as soon as possible.
The following table details the data requested by the Deputy:
|
Scheme |
- |
No. Selected for Inspection |
Total Paid to Date |
Total Finalised & Payment to issue this week |
|
Ground/Field Inspection |
Remote Sensing Inspection |
|||
|
Single Payment Scheme |
1,047 |
6,575 |
4,401 |
1,190 |
|
Disadvantaged Areas’ Scheme * |
954 |
5,728 |
2,520 |
1,110 |
*Note – A total number 1,065 of the DAS cases not yet finalised have specific DAS related issues outstanding, e.g. failure to meet stocking density requirements, etc.
On the matter of digitisation, in the case of Remote Sensing inspections the completion of any required digitising work is an integral part of the processing of cases to finalisation. In the case of Ground/Field inspections, on completion of the field inspection the results are returned to my Department’s Portlaoise Office for processing, including digitising work, where required. Of the 988 cases returned to date, the digitising work has been completed on 558 cases. The remaining cases continue to be processed to finalisation on a daily basis.
463. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason reduced single farm payment and area based payment have been issued to a person (details supplied) in County Cork without any explanation or inspection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42086/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Single Farm Payment /Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 8 May 2014. Processing of this application has recently been finalised and advance payment issued to the nominated bank account of the person named on 16 October 2014. Also payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme issued on 13 October 2014 .
The person named was also the subject of a review relating to 2013. During this review it was discovered that the person named was overpaid. The person named was informed of this overpayment and offered the opportunity to appeal the decision relating to the overpayment. The overpayment was recouped from the 2014 SFP advance payment.
The person named was informed of his right of appeal but to date there is no record of an appeal having been submitted.
464. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive their single farm payment; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42090/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under 2014 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 25 April 2014. Processing of the application has recently been finalised and payments will shortly issue directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
465. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm that there will be no limit on the number of animals that individual farmers can apply on and get paid on under the 2015 beef data and genomics programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42091/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) is a scheme co-funded by the European Commission and as announced in the recent budget and in my Department’s RDP submission to the Commission, I am proposing a budget of over €300m to fund the scheme. As with any scheme, this will have to be managed within the available budget over time. The proposed BDGP is intended to deliver an accelerated improvement in the quality and environmental sustainability of the beef herd through the application of genomics technology. This will help farmers to maximise productivity in a sustainable way, while supporting improved quality and traceability in the national suckler herd, as set out under the Food Harvest 2020 strategy.
The programme will provide support to farmers to take samples for genotyping from selected animals in their herds and to provide vital breeding data to support the development of a national cattle breeding databank. This data will then be returned to farmers in respect of their own animals and will provide them with the tools to select higher quality and more efficient breeding replacements based on criteria such as ease of calving, high weight gain thereafter, and animals that can be finished earlier. The scheme will have a substantial environmental dividend while improving productivity, reducing input costs and improving margins for farmers.
As I set out in my budget speech, I have proposed to increase the amount of money available to all farmers within the scheme to €100 a head on the first ten animals. Further animals in the herd will be paid €80 per head. This budget will allow payments to be made in respect of some 565,000 animals. The increase to €100 in the payment for the first 10 animals is designed to achieve this and almost 300,000 animals will be eligible for this higher payment. I am convinced that this programme can underpin the development of the suckler herd and stimulate a permanent improvement in the climate and production efficiency of the sector.
466. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views regarding the new labelling initiative being pursued by the Minister for Agriculture in Northern Ireland and supported by the Northern Ireland meat industry and by Irish farmers which would allow for cattle born in the Republic of Ireland, fattened in Northern Ireland and slaughtered in Northern Ireland to be placed on the shelves of the major British retailers; the action he has taken to progress this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42092/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, there is a commercial preference at UK retail level, reflecting consumer preference there, for a simple origin labelling process bearing the name of a single EU member state only. It must be recognised that this commercial purchasing strategy has facilitated the sale in major UK retail outlets of large quantities of beef from cattle born, reared and slaughtered in Ireland. However, it adversely affects the market for beef from cattle of "mixed origin" such as those traditionally exported to Northern Ireland for fattening and slaughter.
I have been pro-active in supporting this traditional trade and have met on a number of occasions with my counterpart in Northern Ireland, Minister Michelle O’Neill MLA. We have also written jointly to the three UK retailers which currently stock Irish beef i.e. Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys asking them to consider a new mixed label for animals born reared or slaughtered in both jurisdictions on the island. Minister O’Neill has also approved a voluntary beef label in Northern Ireland for cattle born in the Republic of Ireland, raised in the Republic of Ireland and/or Northern Ireland, and slaughtered in Northern Ireland. This label would facilitate the sale of beef from animals born in the South and slaughtered in the North, while ensuring that the "Origin Ireland" label, which serves the Irish beef and other sectors so well, is protected in domestic and EU markets. At this stage the voluntary label has been approved by the authorities in Northern Ireland but, of course, the question of using such a label is now a commercial matter between processors and retailers in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the UK.
I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to pursue this and other matters with the major retailers. To this end, I invited a representative of Tesco to the Beef Roundtable meeting held last week and a very useful exchange of views took place with all of the stakeholders in the sector. I also recently met with Minister O'Neill and the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) in Dublin to explore the labelling issue further. In summary, the NIRC advised me that its members have considered the mixed label issue in some detail and have concluded that for the moment they are not prepared to change their labelling policies. The NIRC has, however, agreed to keep the matter under review and I will continue to engage with them in this regard.
467. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views regarding the Bord Bia data which show that the key R3 steer cattle price here is now over €1/kg below the same R3 steer cattle price in the main export market in Britain and that this amounts to a price differential of over €350 per animal; his plans to ensure farmers get a fair price for their cattle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42093/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will appreciate, questions of price are ultimately matters to be determined between the purchasers and the sellers of cattle. It is neither appropriate nor possible for me or any other Minister for Agriculture in the EU to intervene directly on these issues. Cattle prices are determined by supply/demand dynamics which are in turn influenced by a range of different factors such as consumer preferences, distance to market, consumer confidence, retail promotions, competition with other meats and the overall macroeconomic situation.
It is, nonetheless, important that farmers are sufficiently remunerated for producing quality animals. Beef producers must be provided with appropriate production incentives that are reflective of market demands and are communicated to producers in a clear and timely manner. I will continue to engage with both farmers and processors to ensure that the market operates in a fair and transparent manner. My role is to create a policy support environment that will allow the beef sector to flourish in line with normal market principles.
I am committed to working with farmers and industry to deal with evolving price levels and to ensure we have the right measures in place to aid producers achieve better margins on their farms.
I have been actively engaging with the sector with the aim of mitigating the impact of the drop in prices from the highs experienced last year.
In the recent budget, I announced a total package of approximately €74 million for the beef sector in 2015, including a provision of €52 million for a proposed Beef Data and Genomics Programme which will place Ireland at the leading edge globally in the use of genomics in beef production. The current Genomics Scheme is being further developed and enhanced as part of a 6-year RDP measure which, once approved by the European Commission, will deliver a payment per animal of €100 for the first ten animals, with the remaining animals being eligible for an €80 payment per animal in participating herds.
The budget package also includes an additional sum of €9 million to fund the Beef Data Programme, €6 million to assist farmer participation in the Beef Quality Assurance Scheme, and a further €1 million for Bord Bia in support of its marketing of Irish products abroad, with a particular emphasis on beef. In addition there is continued budgetary provision for knowledge transfer in the sector through the Beef Technology Adoption Programme and support funding for investments in marketing and processing in the beef sector.
As the Deputy is aware, I established a Beef Roundtable earlier this year to facilitate such discussions between the parties and I convened the third meeting of this group last week. This meeting had a wide-ranging agenda and maintained a focus on the strategic development of the beef sector. All of the main stakeholders were present, including farm bodies, meat processors and Government agencies. For the first time the round table included an exchange of views with the buyers of Tesco and McDonalds, who together are the biggest buyers of Irish beef, both by volume and value. The meeting was updated as regards the good progress made in implementing the recommendations of the Dowling report which I had commissioned as part of the Roundtable process. In addition, the stakeholders provided a strong endorsement for the establishment of farmer owned Producer Organisations in the beef sector to help to rebalance negotiating power along the supply chain.
At my request, farm groups and processors have also agreed to engage in intensive discussions over a two week period on the commercial issues in dispute, under an independent chair, Mr. Michael Dowling. For my part, I have agreed to hold another meeting of the forum next week to review progress.
468. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason there is no provision in his Department's Estimates for the beef technology adoption programme for 2015; if this means that farmers under the programme will receive no BTAP payment in 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42094/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Beef Technology Adoption Programme commenced as a three year programme in 2012 and therefore concludes at the end of 2014. I expect that all payments due to farmers under this programme in respect of this calendar year will be paid by the end of 2014.
469. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42140/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 12 May 2014. Processing of this application has recently been finalised and payment will shortly issue to the nominated bank account of the person named.
470. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application for disadvantaged and single farm payments in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [42142/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 16 April 2014. 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 and this inspection has been completed.
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 results in the 2014 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 will be notified of the outcome of the inspection shortly and of the right to seek a review of this decision.
Payments due, on the basis set out above, under the 2014 Single Payment Scheme and the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme have been finalised and will issue shortly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
471. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an inquiry was made into an incident which occurred in Roscommon dog pound in August 2014, in which the dogs were left unattended for days without food and water; if this incident would constitute an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42149/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe matter in question was the subject of an investigation by An Garda Síochána, who have indicated that there is no prosecution pending in respect of the incident. The operators of the pound have carried out an internal investigation into the matter, and have taken appropriate action.
472. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a review is taking place into which force majeure circumstances will be applied in the context of single farm entitlements of persons; if a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath who has significant health difficulties but has now resumed farming will be facilitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42179/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named participated in the Single Payment Scheme for each scheme year up to 2011. Having leased out his entitlements for the scheme years 2012 and 2013, he did not establish an automatic right to receive new entitlements under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015 and was advised by my Department to transfer his entitlements permanently under the 2014 scheme year. The person named subsequently sold his entitlement under the 2014 scheme. Such a transfer is exempt from Capital Gains Tax.
The EU regulation governing the introduction of the new CAP reform provides for a Force Majeure category under the National Reserve. Application forms for this measure will be available in 2015 and the named person may apply and allow their case to be considered.
473. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the severe hardship caused to many family farm households due to delays in issuing payments such as single farm payment and disadvantaged area scheme payments; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many applicants who had an on-farm or satellite inspection as far back as May/June 2014 are still awaiting finalisation of application and payments; if he will outline the measures being taken to ensure that there are no further delays in having payments issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42193/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraEU Regulations governing the administration of the Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Schemes, and other area based schemes, require that full and comprehensive administrative eligibility checks, including in some cases either Ground or Remote Sensing (satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue. Eligibility checks are required to ensure that the actual area claimed in the application form corresponds to the area farmed by the applicant, that there are no dual claims of land and that ineligible land or features are not included for aid purposes. Both the administrative and inspections checks ensure that the Land Parcel Identification System, underpinning the direct aid payments worth in excess of €1.5 bn annually, is accurately maintained. In addition, these checks are required to protect the annual drawdown of the EU funds and to avoid disallowances.
My Department is required to carry out an annual round of inspections, both in the field and by means of Remote Sensing, to ensure the eligibility of land declared to drawdown payments. The basis of these inspections is governed by EU legislation and there are minimum numbers that must be conducted each year. Land eligibility checks must be carried out on at least 5% of applicants. In response to concerns about the impact of on-the-ground inspections on farmers, some 85% of the required 2014 inspections are initially being carried out without the need for a farm visit as the information needed is acquired using the technique of remote sensing via satellite.
In relation to Remote Sensing inspections, the EU regulations also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land. My Department continues, on a daily basis, to process applications to finalisation, including those subject to inspection, with the intention of issuing any outstanding payments due as soon as possible.
To date advance payments amounting to €531.7m have issued to 111,805 applicants under the 2014 Single Farm Payment, with €175.5m having issued to 83,226 applicants under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.
474. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue under the 2014 disadvantaged area based scheme and single farm payment scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay in issuing this payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42244/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2014 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Area Scheme was received in my Department from the person named on 2 May 2014. Following initial processing, overclaims were discovered in respect of two land parcels. The appropriate query letter issued to the person named following which the person named contacted my Department and accepted the overclaims. The application was then processed on this basis and payment under the Single Payment Scheme issued, less the appropriate reduction penalty, directly to the nominated bank account of the person named on 31 October 2014.
Processing of the 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme application revealed issues relating to the verification of compliance with the minimum stocking density. In this case the conditions for minimum stocking density have not been met. However, further correspondence in respect of this has been received from the Deputy and an official from my Department is currently reviewing the application. Once this review is finalised the person named will be notified directly, in writing, of the outcome.
475. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment will issue under the 2014 disadvantaged area based scheme and single farm payment scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay in issuing this payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42245/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted a 2014 Single Payment /Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 4 May 2014. As the person named does not hold any Single Payment entitlements he therefore is not eligible for payment under this Scheme.
Payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme has not yet issued to the person named as, at this stage, the holding concerned has not yet satisfied the Scheme minimum stocking density requirements. Immediately the holding concerned is confirmed as having met these requirements, the case will be further processed with a view to payment issuing to the person named at the earliest possible date thereafter, provided all other Scheme requirements have been satisfied.
