Written Answers Nos. 95-103
95. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a decision will issue on an appeal under the 2013-2014 single farm payment scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13625/15]
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 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 now necessary. The person named will be advised, in writing, of the findings of the verification visit as soon as possible following the visit. In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with the outcome of this verification check, the decision can be appealed to the independent LPIS Appeals Committee, within four weeks of the notification letter.
96. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reduction in value of the net unit value of standard entitlements compared to the new base unit value in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [13646/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Single Payment Scheme that operated for the years 2005 to 2014 provided a ‘single payment’ to all farmers based on the number and value of entitlements held. With the introduction of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy in 2015, the payment that all farmers will receive is no longer a single payment but consists of a payment under the Basic Payment Scheme, based on entitlements, and a separate payment for Greening. Consequently, the payment that a farmer receives from entitlements represents only a portion of the total direct payment he will receive. In 2014 the person named held 39.56 entitlements with a unit value of €125.90 and a total value of €4, 953.52. In addition the payment of €761.30 which he received under the Grassland Sheep Scheme is incorporated into the ‘value’ which is carried forward to the new Scheme. This ‘value’ when spread over the 37.51 entitlements gives a Unit Value of €101.82. However, the person named will receive a Greening payment of €48.06 per hectare.
While the person named held an entitlement value of €125.90 and a total entitlement value of €4,953.52 in 2014, his combined entitlement and Greening value per hectare in 2015 will equal €149.88 with a total value of €5,751.71. These values will converge upwards so that by 2019 the person named will hold a combined entitlement and greening value per hectare of €170.12 and a total direct payment of €6,510.97.
97. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position, as per his Department's definition, whereby a young farmer can create entitlements on naked hectares farmland which has had purchase finalised in 2015, when that farmer is only now farming in their own right for the first time and has an off-farm income in excess of €40,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13656/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with relevant EU Regulations, to be eligible for an allocation of entitlements under the Young Farmer priority category of the National Reserve an applicant must meet the following conditions:
- S/he is participating in the Basic Payment Scheme in the year in which s/he submits an application;
- S/he is aged no more than 40 years of age at any time during the calendar year in which s/he first submits an application under the Basic Payment Scheme;
- S/he has successfully completed a recognised course of education in agriculture giving rise to an award at FETAC level 6 or its equivalent. Alternatively s/he must commit to commencing such a course by 30th September 2016;
- Has a gross off-farm income that does not exceed €40,000 in one of the tax years 2013 or 2014;
- S/he is setting up an agricultural holding for the first time or has set up such a holding during the five years preceding the first submission of the Basic Payment Scheme application.
The process of deciding objective criteria for 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 in recent months and in the context of the limited funding available to the National Reserve, it was decided that an off farm income limit of €40,000 would be applied to all applicants. 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.
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.
Where a young farmer is ineligible to qualify for the National Reserve due to the off-farm income threshold, he/she may obtain entitlements for their land by way of lease or purchase from 2016 onwards and qualify for the Young Farmer Scheme which does not have an off-farm income threshold as part of the qualifying criteria for that scheme.
98. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of milk dairy businesses registered and-or approved in County Meath under Statutory Instrument 432 of 2009 by his Department; and the number of these approved businesses that have since ceased to operate; to be registered; to be approved, since registration and-or approval. [13660/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are currently six milk/dairy Food Business Operators in County Meath approved by my Department under SI 432 of 2009. Two previously approved milk/dairy Food Business Operators have ceased to operate - one since 2008 and one since 2010.
99. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will amend his Department's lists of nesting and feeding locations for the bird species Chough, Pyrrhocarax and Cág Cosdearg, to include Cape Clear Island, regarding the green low-carbon agri-environmental scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13673/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe location of Chough sites included in the GLAS scheme is based on the information provided to my Department by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. The designation of sites under the Habitats and Birds Directives is a matter for the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and I understand that the site in question has not been formally designated. However, the matter has been raised with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and they have confirmed that Cape Clear should be included as a Chough site under the GLAS. The GLAS on-line system will now be updated to reflect this.
100. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 119 of 12 February 2015, the statutory instrument that forms the scheme's terms and conditions, referred to in the reply (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13675/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Single Payment Scheme, which was replaced by the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015, is a fully funded EU Scheme. The requirements for this Scheme were laid down in EU Regulations, which are directly applicable in each Member State. The relevant Regulations governing the Single Payment Scheme were Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, Commission Regulation (EC) No 1120/2009 and Commission Regulation 1122/2009.
101. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the efforts he has made, to date, to secure leniency for Irish farmers from the European Union in relation to land eligibility and digitisation issues; his plans on this matter going forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13684/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the provisions of the Basic Payment Scheme, farmers need to declare an eligible hectare for each payment entitlement held in order to benefit from payment. The hectares declared must be eligible and must have an agricultural activity carried out on them. The main difficulty in relation to land eligibility arising from recent inspection experience is the lack of any farming activity on some land, particularly marginal land. It is a problem that can to some extent be solved by those farmers applying for payments on marginal lands. However, I am prepared to pursue options that may assist farmers, who have marginal lands, in particular those that have designated land, in meeting the requirements of the Direct Payment regulations. My Department officials are in direct contact with the EU Commission with a view to progressing the issue and looking at all possible options.
This year is an important year for farmers in that new payment entitlements will be allocated to applicants under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme. In order to ensure that they will benefit from their full payment under this Scheme up to the end of this decade, farmers should ensure that the number of entitlements allocated corresponds to the number of eligible hectares on which there is and will continue to be an agricultural activity on their farms. The number of entitlements allocated under the BPS will be based on the eligible land declared in 2013 or 2015, whichever is the lower. There is, therefore, no incentive for farmers to increase the area they declare in 2015.
102. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number and overall percentage of farmers in County Kerry who have been penalised in relation to land eligibility and digitisation issues; if he will provide a breakdown of the scale of the penalties imposed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13685/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere were 7,510 eligible applications under the 2014 Single Payment Scheme received from farmers in Kerry. The number of farmers who had land reduced in Kerry in 2014 as a result of over-declarations was 487. Of those 487 farmers, 103 applicants (1% of the total eligible applications) received a financial penalty relating to the over-claim as it was greater than 3% . The total monetary amount of the over-claim penalties imposed was €91,264.
103. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will be licensed for a marine activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13688/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraDingle Fishery Harbour Centre is one of the six designated Fishery Harbour Centres which are owned, managed and maintained by my Department under Statute. My Department is in receipt of details concerning the proposal referred to by the Deputy. Following consideration, I can inform the Deputy that my Department is amenable to facilitating the proposed activity subject to certain operational and technical conditions being satisfied. My officials will remain in touch with the proposer to finalise these and connected matters prior to any start date of the activity at Dingle Fishery Harbour Centre.
