Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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121. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry is entitled to increased entitlements now that they are milking and have moved away from sucklers. [24935/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Single Payment Scheme entitlements established for every farmer under the Single Farm Payment Scheme in 2005 were based on the average number of animals or of Arable Aid, and the average number of hectares on which payment was made, under the Livestock Premia schemes and/or Arable Aid Schemes during the reference years 2000, 2001 and 2002. A change of farming enterprise from Suckler to Dairy following this reference period does not lead to a recalculation of the value of entitlements held by a farmer under the Single Farm Payment Scheme.

As the person was eligible for a Single Farm Payment in 2013, she is automatically entitled to receive an allocation of entitlements in 2015 under the new Basic Payment Scheme. The number of entitlements that will be allocated will be based on the number of eligible hectares declared in 2013 or 2015, whichever is lesser. The value of entitlements in 2015 will be based on a percentage of a farmer’s value in 2014. This value will be spread across the number of entitlements allocated in 2015 to give an Initial Unit Value for each entitlement. The Initial Unit Value of every farmer will be subject to convergence, i.e. entitlements with an Initial Unit Value below 90% of the national average will be increased while those with an Initial Unit Value above the national average will be reduced.

It is not possible to give the value of entitlements that will be allocated to the person in 2015, however based on the eligible hectares declared by her in 2013 and the 2014 value of the entitlements owned by her, her Initial Unit Value in 2015 will be below the national average and therefore will be converged upwards over the five years of the scheme.