Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To touch on the beef exceptional aid measure scheme question, I will give the figures. Overall, 33,000 farmers applied in the first instance. Of these, 18,700 have exited the scheme clear, having met the 5% reduction. Out of the 33,000 farmers, 18,700 are out the gap and are paid. They will keep that payment. Approximately 10,700 participants deferred and are still in deferment period. The new reference period I set runs from January this year to December this year. I set it in acknowledgement of the fact that many were off course, to try to give people the opportunity to reset. I think it was in February that I put it in place. It gives people a second chance to get straightened up and try to meet the 5% threshold if they were in trouble. A total of 10,700 farmers availed of this extra year-long participation time. There were 3,600 who did not opt for the extra year and had not met the 5% by the end of the original 12 months. The total to be recouped from them is just over €5 million.

We have 10,700 still in the scheme. The analysis until September shows that out of the 10,700 in the new reference year, 2,100 of them are on track to meet the 5%. A further 300 are between 4% and 5%. They will have a partial recoupment. This leaves 8,300 who are not on track to meet the 5% reduction. Of the 8,300 who are not on track, 7,100 of them have increased their nitrates over the course of the reference year. A total of 10,700 took the new reference year and, out of these, 2,100 will be okay, another 300 or so are above the 4% and, of the 8,300 who are under 4%, the vast majority have increased nitrates during the reference period. It is not marginal. It is likely that many of them made a decision they will not meet it and have taken a different pathway.

Looking at these figures as they stand, the total of 7,100 farmers would mean a potential recoupment of €15 million when administrative checks are repeated in February. Most are on track. Money has been recouped from 3,600 because they did not avail of the new reference year. Of those who took the new reference year, more than 2,000 are on track. Up to 2,500 are likely to be okay. Nitrates have increased for more than 7,000 of them. A new reference year would be unlikely to change their direction of travel.