Martin Ferris (Kerry North-West Limerick, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

337. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to implement the Scottish derogation so that young farmers who farmed actively pre-2010 will qualify for the national reserve scheme and young farmers' scheme. [4779/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In accordance with relevant EU Regulations, priority under the National Reserve will be given to farmers meeting the definition of Young Farmer and New Entrant in the first instance. The Regulations also include an optional provision whereby Member States may use the National Reserve to allocate new entitlements or give a top-up on the value of existing entitlements for persons who suffer from a ‘Specific Disadvantage’. The application of this optional use of the Reserve for non-priority categories will be dependent on the availability of funds within the National Reserve once the two priority categories have been allocated. My Department is aware of the particular category of farmer referred to by the Deputy. In this regard, my Department is engaging with the EU Commission to examine the possibility of including this category of farmer under the “Specific Disadvantage” provision.

The Scottish Derogation would allow for the allocation of entitlements to persons who never held entitlements, either owned or leased, but who actively farmed in 2013. My Department is currently engaged with the EU Commission in examining how this provision may be applied in Ireland.