Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Payments are made under the various schemes implemented under the Common Agricultural Policy to eligible applicants who meet the provisions in the EU regulations governing the schemes. In the case of the single payment scheme, eligible applicants must meet all of the following criteria: they must declare eligible hectares as defined under the provisions of article 34 of Council Regulation EC/73/2009; they must carry out farming activity on their holdings; they must hold payment entitlements; and, if they want to benefit fully, they must declare an eligible hectare for each payment entitlement held.

For all types of transfer of entitlements to companies, the applicants must complete a transfer of entitlement application form, which must be supported by a copy of the Companies Registration Office printout to allow the Department to identify the directors of the company for signature purposes. In addition, a memorandum of articles of association must be included detailing that the business of farming is being carried out by the company. To proceed with the requested transfer, officials from my Department ensure that all forms are signed appropriately and that the business of the company includes farming. There are only a small number of companies in receipt of the single payment scheme in Ireland and the vast majority of these were established in recent years by individual farmers who wished to transfer the operation of their farming enterprises to limited companies.

In the case of the market support and on-farm investment schemes implemented by my Department, these measures routinely apply in an equal manner to both natural and legal persons, including companies. Accordingly, where an applicant satisfies the eligibility conditions set out in the measure concerned, my Department is obliged to issue payment to the eligible applicant.

For payments made to companies under EU-funded schemes, both fully and partially, I refer the Deputy to my Department’s website, where details of EU payments to all beneficiaries who are legal persons, including limited companies, are published in accordance with the provisions of Council Regulation EC/1290/2005. The relevant site is .

I think I know what the Deputy's question is getting at. He raises the question of whether we should allow companies to draw down very large payments while individual farmers are struggling and need every cent they get in single farm payments. I will expand on that in my reply to the Deputy's supplementary question.

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