Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Harkin for her question. The exact shape of the various provisions under the next CAP are still under negotiation. Until all of those are complete there is not final certainty with regard to the exact level of convergence that will be applied, or the proportion of the direct payments ceiling allocated to eco-schemes.

The general approach agreed by Council last November would see a minimum of 20% of the direct payments ceiling for Ireland dedicated to eco-schemes, while the Parliament is arguing for a higher allocation, as high as 30%. At this point, the exact nature of how that scheme will work is not clear. Equally, it is not clear whether payments from it would be on a per hectare basis additional to the basic income support for sustainability, BISS, or on the basis of cost incurred or income foregone.

In the proposal, there is a prescribed order in which the direct payments ceiling is administered. I will set out the steps involved. The allocation for eco-schemes is deducted from the ceiling. The allocation for the young farmers scheme is deducted from the ceiling. Any other allocations for other interventions are deducted from the ceiling. The remainder then forms the BISS ceiling. Payment entitlement values are assigned from that. After values are assigned, and the average value is determined, convergence can be applied to the entitlement values from that point forward. The eco-schemes are independent of the payment entitlement value.

There is a super trilogue for three days next year between the Commission, the Council and the Parliament. I know that is a process Deputy Harkin is particularly familiar with, having served as an MEP. That will then set the European plan, which we will have to work through and set our own national plan coming out of that to form our own domestic eco-schemes that are consistent with the wider European plan that will be agreed.

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