Written answers

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Agriculture Schemes Payments

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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506. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when REPS 4 and AEOS payments will issue in respect of 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34680/14]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Area-based schemes under the Rural Development Programme, 2007-13, are subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications, including cross checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, to be completed before payments can issue. These rigorous procedures, together with on-farm inspections, apply to a number of scheme payments including the Agri-environment Options Scheme (AEOS) and REPS and are necessary to ensure that applications meet the scheme conditions and cross-compliance requirements. In line with the governing Regulations, payments issue in two tranches, 75% payment and 25% payment. It is anticipated that a substantial number of 75% and 25 % payments will issue in the last quarter of 2014 with the remainder issuing in early 2015.

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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507. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers that have received their payments under AEOS 3; the amount of money that has been paid out in respect of the 2013 scheme; if the final 25% of eligible payment has been made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34681/14]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The following table displays the amount of money issued to date under the AEOS 3 Scheme. A total of 5,520 applicants, or 90% of all AEOS 3 participants, have now been paid 100% of their entitlement for AEOS 3 2013.

Totals Paid to Date

-Net No Paid
75% 9,005,391.42 5,706
25% 2,967,623.49 5,520
Total 11,973,014.91


Under the EU Regulations governing the scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check of all applications, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue.

Outstanding 2013 payments under AEOS 3 are largely due to unresolved queries associated with applications and in most instances officials in my Department will have contacted the applicants concerned with the intention of issuing payment as soon as possible.

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