Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

980. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine following the recent Common Agricultural Policy agreement, the process that will inform all stakeholders of the proposed changes that will take place as a result of the agreed redistribution of Ireland's and when the process will begin. [34926/13]

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

I have already posted on the website of the Department preliminary details of the CAP reform package on which political agreement was reached between the three EU institutions last month. Over the coming days I will be adding to that information. One of the main features of this agreement on the CAP is the amount of flexibility it gives to Member States to implement the common policy in a way that addresses the particular needs and specificities of individual Member States.

Specifically in regard to the redistribution of direct payments within Member States, the agreement provides options for Member States to converge fully or partially to uniform rates of payment per hectare by 2019. The partial convergence option is based largely on a model originally proposed by Ireland whereby farmers with payments below 90% of the national or regional average would have their payments raised by at least one third of the difference between their current payment and 90% of the national or regional average. This would be financed by reductions to payments above the national average payment per hectare and would be subject to a minimum payment of 60% of the national or regional payment per hectare. There is an optional provision to limit losses from convergence to a maximum of 30% and Member States have flexibility to decide how payment reductions are applied to those above the average. Member States also have the option to apply the greening payment at a rate of 30% of a farmer’s individual payment rather than a flat rate. As an add-on to either the flat rate or partial convergence models, there is provision for an optional redistributive payment on up to 30 hectares or the national average farm size, if higher.

In Ireland's case, I have made no secret of the fact that we should go the partial convergence route in a way that continues to support productive farmers while bringing more equity and fairness into the distribution of direct payment funds. Nevertheless, there are many open questions remaining about the extent to which payments should converge, whether we should adopt a regional approach, how we should finance the convergence and whether we should avail of the add-on redistributive payment.

I will be launching a consultation process shortly to obtain the views of all stakeholders regarding the many options open to Ireland for implementation of the new regime.