Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 November 2017
177. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he expects all agricultural support payments to be made on time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47279/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department administers a wide range of schemes which provide vital support to underpin the continued sustainability and growth of the agrifood sector. I am very aware of the importance of these supports for farmers, and accordingly the issuing of payments under these schemes is a matter of priority for my Department.
The main schemes are delivered under the framework of the EU Common Agricultural Policy, and each year approximately €1.5bn issues under these schemes. My Department has a strong record in the efficient delivery of these payments, as evidenced by the fact that we perform very favourably compared to other EU Member States in terms of both the dates on which payments are delivered and our ability to maximise the drawdown of available EU funding.
In terms of the individual schemes, the main Direct Payment scheme is the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). Advance payments commenced on 16 October this year, which is the first date permissible under the EU Regulations. In all, an advance payment worth some €700 million issued to 111,000 farmers on the first pay run, representing an increase from the 109,000 farmers paid at the same stage in 2016.
The Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) Scheme commenced payment on schedule again this year. In the week beginning 18th September, payments in excess of €160 million issued to over 75,000 farmers, representing a significant increase over the 65,000 paid at the same stage in 2016.
In both the BPS and ANC schemes, payments have continued to issue as additional cases have become clear for payment and the current position with those schemes is that for BPS 116,500 applicants have now been paid €755 million and for ANC over 86,600 applicants have been paid €186 million.
With regard to GLAS, all applications must pass regulatory controls and validations before payment can issue. Payments are due to commence issuing to applicants in the coming weeks. I do not expect any payment delays where everything in the application is found to be in order.
The TAMS II Scheme has been very successful to date in terms of uptake with the number of approvals that have issued to date exceeding 11,600. All of these approvals represent committed expenditure under the TAMS II measure of the Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020.
Of the applications approved just over 2,500 payment claims have been received to date, representing 21% of approvals. Payment claims submitted have been paid in over 75% of cases and these continue to be paid on an on- going basis. However, until such time as the works applied for and approved have been completed and payment claims submitted, payments cannot issue.
All participants who have completed approved works are urged to submit their payment claims immediately to facilitate early payment.
Organic Farm Scheme payments in 2015 and 2016 amounted to €8m each year. Projected expenditure for 2017 is €13m and the average payment is approximately €6,500. It is expected that 2016 balancing payments will issue this month.
Payments have now commenced on the Knowledge Transfer Programme. The initial payment runs relate to cases where all Year 1 requirements have been fully met by the farmer – cases where all requirements have been only partially met or where inspections are ongoing will follow shortly. Given the structure of the scheme, farmer payments are now rolling out on a sector by sector basis as follows:
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SECTOR And PAYEE |
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KT Sheep – farmer payment - Payment issued |
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KT Beef – farmer payment - Payment issued |
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KT Dairy – farmer payment November 2017 |
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KT Tillage – farmer payment November 2017 |
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KT Equine – farmer payment November 2017 |
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KT Poultry – farmer participant November 2017 |
In addition to the above schemes, advance payments at a rate of 85% are due to issue later this month to participants in the new Sheep Welfare Scheme.
In relation to all these EU funded schemes, it is important to note that EU regulations stipulate that payments can only issue when the required validation checks have been carried out and passed. I am very anxious to ensure that my Department continues to issue these important payments to farmers in the most efficient and timely manner possible, and this remains a key priority for me.
