Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when REP scheme 4 payments and agri environment option scheme 1 and 2 payments will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48249/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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REPS and AEOS are area based schemes which are co-funded by the EU under the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 and EU Regulations governing the Schemes must be strictly adhered to. These require that a full and comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, as well as field inspections, must be completed before payment issue. The Commission have made it clear, in the course of audits, that all checks must be passed and eligibility conditions met. This means that a farmer’s application must be fully in order, all outstanding documentation provided and queries resolved before payment can be released to him or her. Given these requirements, my officials take considerable care in validating payments while also ensuring that farmers receive their payments as soon as possible. In overall terms, the situation is that preparations for payments are now at an advanced stage and I expect that payments under both REPS and AEOS in respect of the 2012 scheme year will commence shortly.