Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2018
600. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a full basic payment to a person (details supplied) will be reinstated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37596/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named has been an applicant under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) from 2015 to 2018.
Applicants under the BPS were allocated payment entitlements and are paid annually on the basis of the number of entitlements held with the requirement to have declared an eligible hectare of agricultural land per entitlement.
The Terms and Conditions booklet under the BPS 2015 to 2018 was circulated to all farmers annually. In the Terms and Conditions, the requirements in relation to entitlement usage are outlined. In the 2018 BPS Terms & Conditions booklet, the requirements relating to entitlement usage are detailed on pages 21 and 22. Under these requirements, all entitlements allocated are subject to a two-year usage rule. In effect should a farmer have unused entitlements for two consecutive years, the entitlements will be reverted to the National Reserve in the second year of non-usage. It states specifically on page 22 - "To avoid the loss of entitlements ... the farmer should ensure he/she has sufficient land in 2018 to utilise all entitlements".
When an applicant submits his/her BPS application he/she confirms that he/she is aware of the conditions attaching to the Scheme for which the application is made (as set out in the Terms and Conditions) and agree to comply fully with these requirements.
The person named had 32.22 entitlements and under the 2017 BPS application, which was submitted online on 11 May 2017. He declared 14.94 hectares. Under the 2018 BPS application, the person named again still only claimed 14.94 hectares. This means that a portion of his entitlements were reverted in 2018 to the National Reserve due to non-usage.
A farmer’s usage position is available for them to view at any time on the online system where it clearly states the number of available entitlements and the number which have been used in each year.
It should be noted also, that all farmers have the opportunity, under the BPS, to make amendments to their applications up to a certain date. Under the 2018 BPS, amendments were permitted, including the addition of land parcels up to 31 May 2018 without penalty and up to 9 June 2018 with a penalty. This is also highlighted in the Terms and Conditions booklet that issued to the farmers. It is, however, not possible to add land to a BPS application after that date.
