Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 753: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will clarify all of the circumstances in which land owners are entitled to stack their entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26920/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In Member States, like Ireland, who adopted the Historical model for implementing the Single Payment Scheme, applicants are obliged to declare one eligible hectare of land for each payment entitlement held. The number of payment entitlements held is equal to the average number of hectares of eligible land declared during the 2000 – 2002 reference period.

Farmers in Member States who are applying the Historical Model would have encountered difficulties if, in 2005 and subsequent years, they were not farming the same number of hectares that they had during the reference period. It was for this reason that the concept of Consolidation of Entitlements was introduced under Article 7 of Commission Regulation 795/2004.

Farmers, who, for specific reasons, were farming less lands in 2005 or in subsequent years than the average number of hectares farmed during the reference period may apply to consolidate their entitlements. In Ireland the following categories of farmers were deemed eligible to participate in the programme:

Farmers, who were farming a reduced number of hectares when compared to the reference period for one of the following reasons;

(i) the sale of lands under a Compulsory Purchase Order to a Public Authority for non-agricultural purposes;

(ii) the afforestation of lands (no longer applicable to forestry planted from 1 January 2009)

(iii) the loss of leased/rented land on expiry of a lease or rental agreement

In all cases applicants for consolidation must retain at least 50% of the average number of hectares declared during the reference period.

Applicants are entitled to apply for consolidation in more than one year provided all the conditions are met, however, land farmed during the reference period and not available when the applicant previously consolidated cannot be used again as a reason to further consolidate. The closing date for receipt of applications under the Consolidation measure of the 2012 Single Payment Scheme was 15th May 2012. My Department to date has received a total of 1,357 applications in respect of the 2012 Scheme year.