Written answers

Tuesday, 26 June 2007

Department of Agriculture and Food

Grant Payments

10:00 pm

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 457: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary had single farm payment entitlements issued to another person; if entitlements will be established and payment issued without delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16831/07]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named and his brother had been farming together. In the year 2000 they decided to apply to have one brother's name removed from the herd number. This was done in 2001. The reference years for the Single Payment Scheme were 2000 to 2002. Some Single Payment entitlements were in the joint names of the two brothers and the remainder was in the name of the person named. Arrangements are now being made to transfer the remaining entitlements to the person named and my Department will be in contact with him shortly about any outstanding payments.

Photo of Michael LowryMichael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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Question 458: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she plans to revise the categories for eligible applications under the single farm payment national reserve; the time-frame for revision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16832/07]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The position is that the Single Payment Scheme is applicable to farmers who farmed during the three -year reference period 2000 — 2002, who drew down livestock or Arable Aid premia in at least one of those years and who continued to farm in 2005. The Single Payment Scheme entitlements established for individual farmers therefore is a true reflection of their farming activity and premia draw-down during the reference period. Special provisions were made for farmers (including young farmers) who entered farming for the first time in either 2001 or 2002. Their Single Payment was determined based on the average of the years 2001 and 2002 or on the basis of premia paid in 2002 as appropriate.

The EU regulations also provided for the setting up of a National Reserve. The Reserve was created by reducing each farmer's individual Single Payment by an amount of up to 1.82%. The purpose of the National Reserve is to try and minimise the impact on farmers who, for a variety of reasons, may find themselves disadvantaged in the transition to the new decoupled support regime as a result of changes in their businesses during or since the reference period. In particular the intention was to provide enhanced or new entitlements for certain farmers who made investments in production capacity or purchased or leased land on a long-term basis or who converted from dairying to a sector for which a direct payment would have been payable during the reference period. Such farmers, at the time when they took these decisions, had a legitimate expectation that the coupled regime of direct payments would continue into the future.

There were mandatory and non-mandatory categories in the 2005 National Reserve. In Ireland's case the mandatory categories were categories A, B(i) B(ii) B(iii) B(iv) and C. The non-mandatory categories were category D (new entrants) and certain hill sheep farmers who were prevented from increasing production during the reference period pending the publication of commonage framework plans. Separate application arrangements were in place for this latter group.

In allocating entitlements to successful applicants in the mandatory categories the Member State must apply objective criteria and ensure equal treatment between farmers. In allocating entitlements to successful applicants in the non-mandatory categories the Member State must ensure that the allocation does not have the effect of increasing the value of any existing entitlements above the regional average value of entitlements. Similarly, the value of any new entitlements allocated to non-mandatory categories must not exceed the regional average. The Member State was allowed to determine what constituted the regional average.

I established a Single Payment Advisory Committee comprising representatives of the farming organisations, Teagasc and officials from my Department to consider the objective criteria that should be used in making allocations from the reserve to the mandatory categories and also the most appropriate way to determine the regional average value of entitlements in the case of the non-mandatory categories. The regional average value of entitlements was the average value of entitlements in the District Electoral Division (DED) associated with the applicant's herd number. This was considered to be a reasonable interpretation reflecting, as it did, the average value of payment entitlements and therefore the average farming activity and premia payments in the DED concerned during the reference period.

The total amount of money available for distribution under Ireland's 2005 National Reserve was some €22.7m. Some €20m was allocated under the 2005 National Reserve with the balance brought forward to the 2006 National Reserve and subsequent years' reserve. The Single Payment Advisory Committee also makes recommendations on the categories of farmers who should benefit from the National Reserve in 2006 and 2007. There was only one mandatory category in the 2006 National Reserve (category A) and one non-mandatory (category B). The 2007 National Reserve catered for one mandatory category (A) and 3 non mandatory categories (B, C and D).

The National Reserve is a scarce resource created by reducing the entitlements of existing farmers and will only be replenished by the relinquishing of any entitlements that remain unused. My Department must therefore be prudent is determining how the funds in the reserve are administered.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 459: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if there is a delay in the payment of the farm waste management grant to applicants; the reason for this delay; and the steps she will take to address this situation. [16840/07]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Payments under the Farm Waste Management Scheme are progressing satisfactorily with over €31.7 million spent, to date, under the Scheme in 2007 compared to €21.3 million during the whole of the 2006 calendar year.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 460: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will allocate additional staff to the farm development service offices to help clear the backlog in processing farm waste management grant applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16841/07]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Due to the significant increase in applications under the Farm Waste Management Scheme, I introduced revised procedures in order to speed up the process of issuing approvals under the Scheme. These include the streamlining of administrative procedures for the approval of applications and the release to applicants of my Department's Standard Costings used to assess the financial implications of proposed investments carried out under the Scheme. As a result, the number of approvals issued to farmers to commence work under the Scheme has increased significantly. The staffing levels in the local AES offices of my Department are reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that the necessary staffing resources are in place to ensure delivery of the Scheme.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 461: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the transfer of entitlements to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be complete in respect of the land and entitlements they purchased several years ago. [16842/07]

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 464: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the transfer of entitlements application will be finalised for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; when this application was first lodged to her Department; if this matter will be expedited; when payments on the entitlements will issue to the person; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16887/07]

Photo of Mary CoughlanMary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 461 and 463 together. The person named applied in September 2005 to transfer entitlements by way of Private Contract Clause (Sale) under the provisions of Article 17 of EU Commission Regulation 795/2004. He subsequently applied to trade entitlements under Article 46 of EU Council Regulation 1782/2003. The case was complicated by the fact that the person named did not get his own herd number until July 2005 and he did not declare any lands under the 2005 Single Payment scheme.

My Department has now reviewed the case and has decided that the appropriate mechanism to transfer the entitlements is by way of the Private contract clause. This has now been done. Since the person named did not declare any lands under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme, he cannot be paid for that year. Payment under the 2006 Single Payment Scheme will issue to him shortly.

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