Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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875. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if payments will be made under the 2013 disadvantage area based payment and the 2013 single farm payment on lands that were planted with forestry in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45953/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009, land, which was afforested in 2013, is eligible to activate payment entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme and to benefit from payment provided that the following criteria are met by applicants:

- The land to be afforested was declared under the 2008 Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and was eligible for payment.

- The applicant who declared that land was paid under the 2008 Single Payment Scheme and the land was eligible to draw down an SPS payment.

- Applicants who afforest part of their holding and wish to benefit from the Single Payment, must retain at least 10% of the eligible hectares declared in 2008 (by the applicant or his predecessor) in an agricultural activity subject to a minimum of 3 hectares.

- The afforested land meets all the requirements of the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme, FEPS or the Native Woodland Establishment Scheme.

- Eligible forestry parcels that are declared on SPS applications to activate entitlements will also be subject to cross-compliance requirements.

Afforested land is not eligible for payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.