Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will legislate to impose a limit on the amount of farm payments accruing to one individual once an agreement has been concluded. [16370/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The EU Commission proposals on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy have been the subject of negotiations at official and political level in the Council of Ministers over the past 18 months culminating in an agreed Council position which was reached at Council on 18/19 March. Under the proposals agreed by the Council of Ministers, Member States have the option to reduce the amount of direct payments granted to a farmer where such payment exceeds €150,000.

The final phase of negotiations, the aim of which is to reach agreement between the three European Institutions i.e. the Council of Ministers, the European Parliament and the Commission, has now started. It is not possible to speculate on the final outcome of these negotiations and on what form the final capping of direct payments will take.

I am open to considering a limit on the amount that any person or company could receive in one year under the Single Farm payment and have already indicated my support for the capping provision as in the current Council position.