Written answers

Tuesday, 11 March 2014

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Single Payment Scheme Eligibility

Photo of Patrick O'DonovanPatrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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450. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Wexford has lost their entitlements; and the course of action open to them to get them back. [11623/14]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the Single Payment Scheme the person named established 50.12 Standard entitlements and 5.57 Set-aside entitlements with a total value of €20,696.07. All entitlements were fully used from 2005 until 2010. In 2011 the person named submitted an application to transfer 4.02 entitlements on a 7 year lease. The application was successful and the entitlements were transferred effective from 16 May 2011 to 31 December 2017. The remaining 51.67 entitlements were claimed by the person named in 2012 and 2013 with no loss of entitlements.

Any farmer who was entitled to receive a direct payment in 2013 (Single Payment, Grassland Sheep Scheme, Burren Life Scheme, Beef Data Scheme) is automatically eligible to receive an allocation of entitlements under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015. As the person named did receive a 2013 direct payment, he holds an ‘allocation right’ which will allow him to establish entitlements under the new Scheme.

The value of entitlements that will be allocated to a farmer in 2015 will be based on a percentage of the value of entitlements (and where relevant the payment received in 2014 under the Grassland Sheep Scheme) owned by the farmer on the closing date for applications under the 2014 scheme year. When carrying forward the value of leased entitlements to the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015, such value will be assigned to the owner of the entitlements (where the owner is eligible to participate in the Basic Payment Scheme) and not to the lessee. The value of entitlements which the person named has leased out therefore will not be lost but will be attributed to him as the owner of the entitlements.

If the person named wishes to continue the existing lease of land and entitlements to the lessee, he may do so by way of a Private Contract Clause, presuming that he proceeds to establish entitlements in 2015 in his own name. I recommend that the person named contact the 2015 Direct Payments Information Centre at 0761 064438 or to discuss his individual circumstances in more detail.

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