Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

The single farm payment is in a different category. The money for this does not come under my expenditure ceiling. The scheme is 100% funded by the Union and it is paid every year. Normally we make a case for an early payment of a portion of the money. Sometimes we are successful and other times we are not. We were successful this year in securing early payment of 50% of the money, which is good.

Farmers are right to be frustrated that they have not received their AOS payments for the final three months of last year because they should have had them by now. Since taking office, I have worked hard to find out what is the blockage. They are likely to get the outstanding payments from last year at the end of July or the beginning of August. That is not the first time I have said this. I have outlined this to the farming organisations, which are also frustrated about this. We are trying to put in place systems to ensure payments can be made as early as possible.

The Deputy is correct that we will be under much more pressure next year in the context of expenditure and, therefore, we are trying to finalise as many payments as possible this year, not only under environmental schemes but also under other grant-aid schemes. For example, if we grant-aid developments on farms under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, we will seek to get that money spent this year.

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