Written answers

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Single Payment Scheme Applications

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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247. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Donegal has yet to receive their payments under the single farm payments scheme and the disadvantaged area payments scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45273/14]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 10 April 2014. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.

The EU Regulations also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land.

The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing inspection. Initial processing of this inspection identified a requirement to verify the eligibility of land declared by means of a field inspection.

On completion of this inspection the results will be finalised with the intention of issuing any payment due as soon as possible. In the event that any queries arise officials in my Department will be in contact with the person named.

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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248. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason a person (details supplied) in County Donegal has not yet received their payments under the single farm payments scheme and the disadvantaged area payments scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45274/14]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 24 March 2014. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.

The EU Regulations also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land.

The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing inspection. Initial processing of this inspection identified a requirement to verify the eligibility of land declared by means of a field inspection.

On completion of this inspection the results will be finalised with the intention of issuing any payment due as soon as possible. In the event that any queries arise officials in my Department will be in contact with the person named.

Photo of Pearse DohertyPearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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249. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the delays which are being encountered by farmers in County Donegal who have been chosen for satellite inspections as part of having their applications for single farm payments processed is acceptable; if he will provide the total number of satellite inspections which have been carried out in county Donegal since the start of the year; if he will provide, in respect of this same period, the number of inspections which have been processed and the number of inspections currently awaiting to be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45275/14]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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EU Regulations governing the administration of the Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas Schemes, and other area based schemes, require that full and comprehensive administrative eligibility checks, including in some cases either Ground or Remote Sensing (satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue. Eligibility checks are required to ensure that the actual area claimed in the application form corresponds to the area farmed by the applicant, that there are no dual claims of land and that ineligible land or features are not included for aid purposes.

Both the administrative and inspection checks ensure that the Land Parcel Identification System, underpinning the direct aid payments worth in excess of €1.5bn annually, is accurately maintained. In addition, these checks are required to protect the annual drawdown of the EU funds and to avoid disallowances.

My Department is required to carry out an annual round of inspections, both in the field and by means of Remote Sensing, to ensure the eligibility of land declared to drawdown payments. The basis of these inspections is governed by EU legislation and there are minimum numbers that must be conducted each year.

Land eligibility checks must be carried out on at least 5% of applicants. In response to concerns about the impact of on-the-ground inspections on farmers, 6,715 cases or some 85% of the required 2014 inspections are initially being carried out without the need for a farm visit as the information needed is acquired using the technique of remote sensing via satellite.

The EU Regulations governing Remote Sensing inspections also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land.

Of the 6,715 cases selected for a Remote Sensing inspection, 484 cases are in Co Donegal, which equate s to 7.2% of the overall number selected. To-date, the inspection results have been received and processed for 210 of these cases.

The remaining 274 cases require a field inspection to verify the eligibility of land declared. On completion of the required inspection s the results will be finalised with the intention of issuing any payments due as soon as possible. In the event that any issue arises on an individual case officials in my Department will be in contact with the applicant concerned.

Photo of Michael RingMichael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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250. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive payment of their single payment scheme and disadvantaged area scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45291/14]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme application on 28 March 2014. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases Remote Sensing (i.e. satellite) inspections, be completed before any payments issue.

The EU Regulations also require that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available satellite imagery, a field inspection must be undertaken to verify the eligibility of the land.

The application of the person named was selected for a Remote Sensing inspection. Initial processing of this inspection identified a requirement to verify the eligibility of land declared by means of a field inspection.

On completion of this inspection the results will be finalised with the intention of issuing any payment due as soon as possible. In the event that any queries arise officials in my Department will be in contact with the person named.

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