Written answers
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Common Agricultural Policy Reform
Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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127. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the submission that is proposed from Ireland to the European Union Commission on the new Common Agricultural Policy, including measures to simplify payments or processes; the timeframes for same; the consultation process to support same; the reason there appears to have been no formal consultation call; the mechanisms for making submissions to his Department and-or the European Commission and the contact points proposed; the specific proposals which Ireland is considering at this time, and the rationale for same; when any submission or draft will be made public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6452/15]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In line with the renewed focus of the new EU Commission on simplification, late last month the Commissioner for Agriculture wrote to all EU Ministers requesting ideas and proposals for simplifying the CAP. The Commissioner requested initial proposals by the end of February and, given the tight time frame, I have decided against a formal consultation process at this point. Of course, I and my officials are in regular contact with stakeholder organisations and would be happy to take on board their proposals. My officials are currently working on a submission. As requested by the Commissioner, the submission will be guided by the following principles:
- Maintaining the basic decisions of the 2013 reform and concentrating on elements that can be changed within the current policy framework;
- Ensuring that there is no weakening of sound financial management or increase in error rates;
- Giving priority to practical proposals with real and tangible benefits for farmers and which reduce the administrative burden.
Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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128. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the process that his Department is undertaking in respect of the recording and updating of hedgerow, ditch and buffer zones; the process where these areas are being considered as an ecological focus area in the new Common Agricultural Policy; the timeframes for same; the process for updating this data; the control and oversight and verification mechanisms in place to ensure the accuracy of the final data set and to ensure mature established hedgerows important for biodiversity are recognised and protected; the consultation there has been on the process; the cross-compliance implications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6453/15]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Single Payment Scheme was replaced by the Basic Payment Scheme and Greening Payment in 2015. The Greening Payment is an important part of the CAP following the Reform that was agreed during the Irish Presidency in June 2013. The Greening Payment will amount to approximately 30% of the overall payment made to farmers under the new Regime. The three main elements of the greening requirements are as follows:
- Crop Diversification;As the protection of permanent grassland will be applied at national level, the main two measures that will impact on farmers are Crop Diversification and Ecological Focus Areas (EFA). The farmers involved are arable growers, who will declare 10 hectares or more of arable land in 2015. Bearing in mind the complex nature of the requirements, my Department has built an on-line application facility, which will assist farmers in applying for payments under the Basic Payment Scheme and Greening Payment. Under the EFA requirements, I decided that the following landscape features and areas could be utilised by farmers in Ireland:
- Ecological Focus Areas;
- Protection of Permanent Grassland including sensitive grassland.
| Hedgerows | Nitrogen Fixing Crops (Protein crops) |
|---|---|
| Drains | Catch Crops |
| Buffer Strips | Short Rotation Coppice |
| Field copses | Land lying fallow |
| BPS Eligible Forestry |
The three landscape features are hedgerows, drains and buffer strips. The others are area-related measures and can be declared as such by applicants, who select one or more of these options in their 2015 Basic Payment Scheme/Greening Payment application. My Department, using datasets from Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) and other software applications, established a database of hedgerows, drains and buffer strips for use by applicants in the on-line application. As these features were identified by electronic means, they will, of course need to be checked and verified by applicants and their advisors / consultants. When the data is verified, the on-line facility will provide applicants with the EFA contribution of each feature in all land parcels declared. The on-line application will also inform farmers whether they are compliant or not with the greening requirements based on the area details declared by them. In addition to the updating of the data by applicants and their agents, the database will be updated by the findings of eligibility inspection undertaken in 2015 and subsequent years.
With a view to assisting arable farmers and providing as much information as is possible to them before they submit their 2015 application, my Department will issue a complete set of maps outlining the landscape features in each parcel together with a comprehensive Guidance Manual to all arable farmers next week.
My Department has worked closely, and continues to do so, with the farming organisations, Teagasc and the Agricultural Consultants Association together with individual arable farmers in developing the application process in Ireland.
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