Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 467: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a decision will be made on an application under the early retirement scheme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9894/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Due to Industrial Action by staff in my Department, I am not in a position to provide a reply to this question.

Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 468: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his attention has been drawn to the fact that farmers with lands on both sides of the Border can only farm lands on one side of the Border for the purpose of single farm payment; his views on whether this discriminates against Border farmers and distorts the market value of agricultural land in the Border region; his plans to introduce legislative reforms to address same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9926/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Single Payment Scheme and other EU-funded Schemes are governing by relevant EU legislation. The financial ceilings under the Single Payment Scheme are assigned to the individual Member States, for use within those individual Member States. Article 2 of Council Regulation (EC) 73/2009, which establishes the common rules on direct payments, including the Single Payment, defines a 'holding' as all the production units managed by a farmer within the territory of the same Member State.

However, when the Single Payment Scheme was implemented in the EU, special provision was made for farmers with land situated in more than one Member State. In Ireland, for example, farmers with land situated in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland and who were claiming aid under the Livestock Premia and Arable Aid Schemes in the Republic had the number of entitlements allocated to them based solely on the land situated in the Republic. That means that they can receive their full Single Farm Payment by only declaring the land situated in the Republic irrespective of whether they continued to farm the land situated in Northern Ireland. These farmers are entitled to continue to farm the land situated in Northern Ireland but they do not require this land to benefit from the Single Farm Payment.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 469: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive their payments under REP scheme four; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9931/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Due to Industrial Action by staff in my Department, I am not in a position to provide a reply to this question.