Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the French proposal under common agriculture policy reform to front load the single payment and the first number of hectares in order to assure adequate payments to small farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6973/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Along with other Ministers, I have been pressing for the flexibility to be given to Member States to design payment models that suit their own farming conditions.

As the Deputy is well aware, the ‘approximation’ approach, by which all payments could gradually move towards, but not fully to, the average, is one alternative that I believe should be considered in this regard. The Commission’s “pragmatic” proposal for redistribution between Member States is, in effect, an approximation approach and provides a useful precedent. Modelling in my Department suggests that the application of this system to the distribution of funds between farmers in Ireland would lead to more acceptable gains and losses to individual farmers than a flat rate system.

I have examined the French proposal and I believe that it is worth including also as an option for Member States.

I would add that, as President of the European Council of Agriculture Ministers, my overriding objective is to negotiate a Council position on the reform package by the end of March, with a view to securing an inter-institutional political agreement with the European Parliament and the Commission by the end of June. In that regard, I will be making proposals on this key issue within the next few weeks. I will be seeking reasonable flexibility for Member States on how these funds are distributed. I want to see payments distributed more fairly between farmers, but I want a sensible level and pace of change that will not disrupt our most active and efficient farmers as they gear up to meet the ambitions of our Food Harvest strategy.