Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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180. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding scrub land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3057/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department is bound, under EU Regulations, to maintain the accuracy the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS), which underpins the processing of applications under the Single Payment Scheme, the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme as well as REPS and AEOS. In this regard payment may only be made in respect of eligible land.

At the start of each year, my Department issues colour maps of all land parcels declared by farmers in the previous year together with a covering letter. In that letter, farmers are reminded to examine each map carefully and to identify and exclude from their application all ineligible features such as buildings, farmyards, scrub, roadways, forests, lakes etc. included in the land parcels.

There is, therefore, an onus on all farmers to ensure that the area of land declared by them as eligible for payment under the Direct Payment Schemes is accurate. They are also given the means to do so by making the ortho-photos available to them on an annual basis. These requirements are also made clear in the Terms and Conditions of the Schemes, which accompanies the pre-printed application form issue to all farmers at the commencement of the application period each year.

Farmers who have removed ineligible features, such as scrub from their land parcels should advise my Department accordingly. They will be assisted in updating their land parcel details by reference to the colour maps and the pre-printed 2014 application forms which will be provided to them at the commencement of the 2014 application period. The claimed area on land parcels should be adjusted on the 2014 Single Payment Scheme application form, to take account of any additional areas that have been made eligible by the removal of ineligible features.