Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 December 2015
283. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the nature of the direct contact his Department had with the European Commission in negotiating the A Guide to Land Eligibility Direct Payment Schemes 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44229/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe implementation of the Direct Payment Schemes under the new CAP saw some changes to the requirements governing the eligibility of land and other related matters. Officials from my Department worked closely with the EU Commission in March/April of this year with a view to establishing a set of requirements which are clear and workable from the point of view of individual farmers as well as other stakeholders. I was also mindful of the need to ensure that the implementing provisions were the most appropriate in the context of farming in Ireland and providing as much flexibility as possible to farmers. In order to benefit from payment under the Direct Aid Schemes, land must be eligible and must also be in a state fit for grazing or cultivation.
In the context of compiling a guidance booklet for issue to farmers, officials from my Department sought a meeting and met with officials from the European Commission on 9 April 2015. The purpose of this meeting was to seek clarification regarding Ireland’s interpretation of the EU Regulations governing land eligibility. In Ireland, it was decided that the most appropriate mechanism to provide for this is to define the characteristics to be met by an agricultural area in order to be deemed maintained in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation. In the first instance, it should be remembered that it is the responsibility of each Member State to implement EU regulations in respect of the eligibility of land.
