Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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478. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason entitlements are based on their father's activity from pre-2004 in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry even though they run a far more productive farm now; if this matter could be addressed to reflect the current level of productivity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12079/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Livestock Premia and Arable Aid Schemes were decoupled from production with effect from 1 January 2005. A new scheme, known as the Single Payment Scheme, replaced those schemes from that date. The gross Single Payment is based on the average number of animals, and/or the average number of hectares in the case of Arable Aid, on which payments were made in the three reference years, 2000, 2001 and 2002. The above named received 59.90 Standard entitlements @ €107.29 with a total net value of €6,426.67 in 2005 through a transfer. In 2005 he submitted applications under Force Majeure, New Entrant and National Reserve, however he was unsuccessful under each category as he did not meet the required criteria.

The Single Payment Scheme will cease on 31 December 2014 and will be replaced by the Basic Payment Scheme. While initially retaining the link with the Single Payment Scheme, the model of convergence that will be implemented in Ireland will gradually move all farmers towards a national average value over the five years of the new scheme. Under this model all farmers are guaranteed that they will achieve a minimum value of at least 60% of the national average by 2019. The purpose of this model is to achieve a gradual phased redistribution of payments between those who currently hold high value entitlements and those who hold low value entitlements. It will I believe introduce a fairer more equitable distribution of funds between farmers while avoiding the negative impact of a sudden move to a ‘flat-rate’.