Written answers
Wednesday, 15 May 2024
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Agriculture Schemes
Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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87. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) has yet to receive their full basic payment. [22129/24]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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An application for participation in the Basic Income Support of Sustainability (BISS) scheme was received from the above named applicant on May 24th 2023.
A new requirement under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) effective from January 1st 2023 requires that applicants receiving payments under any CAP scheme must meet an “active farmer check”. This is to ensure the person receiving the payments is the person farming the land being claimed.
The active farmer claim selected by the applicant at the time of application was "plan to purchase livestock in 2023". Where this claim is selected applicants are advised that payment may be delayed to 2024. This is to allow verification of stocking rate calculations in relation to this active farmer claim.
Applicants are required to fulfil both of the following stocking rate criteria.
- Annual Stocking Rate: Applicants must meet their annual stocking rate requirement (minimum 0.10LU/ha per month)
- Retention period: Applicants must maintain a stocking density equal to or greater than 0.10 LU/ha for a minimum of 28 consecutive weeks in the calendar year 2023
On foot of this administrative review, a letter in relation to the active farmer claim was issued to the applicant on February 7th 2024, outlining the options available to meet the active farmer check.
No correspondence has been received from the applicant in relation to this to date. If the applicant can submit supporting documentation as outlined in the February 7th correspondence, then DAFM can process this.
The documentation should be submitted online via activefarmer@agriculture.gov.ie. Please ensure the applicant's Herd number and scheme year is clearly marked on all supporting documentation submitted.
Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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88. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his advice regarding an issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22130/24]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The National Dairy Beef Welfare scheme to which the Deputy refers was a national scheme which operated in 2023. This scheme paid farmers (dairy farmers or non-dairy farmers who bought in dairy beef calves) who reared dairy beef calves, €20 per calf to weigh them and upload the weights to ICBF.
This scheme is now replaced by the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) Dairy Beef Welfare scheme (DBWS). The objective of the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme (DBWS) is to incentivise the use of genetic tools to improve the beef merit of progeny from dairy herds. Breeding with high Dairy Beef Index (DBI) sires has established progeny performance benefits as measured by their Commercial Beef Value (CBV). The scheme supports the use of the DBI to produce calves with a higher CBV.
The DBWS is a breeding measure which supports farmers using genotyped and genetically superior beef sires for breeding dairy beef calves. Participants will be required to have calves born on their holding in the scheme year which must be sired by a 3 or 4 or 5-star stock bull or from 3 or 4 or 5-star AI straws, or a mixture of both, to be eligible for payment in each scheme year for which an application has been submitted.
The scheme runs from 2024 to 2027 inclusive. Scheme year one is in respect of calves born between 01 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, and each succeeding scheme year is from 01 January to 31 December for calves born in that calendar year.
Applicants can apply for this scheme on agfood.ie from 21 March 2024 until 23:59 on 15 May 2024, followed by a further 25 days albeit with late penalties.
The payment rate is €20 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 50 caves for each of the scheme years. Payments for scheme year 1 (2024) will be made in March 2025 to farmers who satisfy the scheme requirements. Payments will issue each year in March following the scheme year end.
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