Written answers
Tuesday, 28 April 2015
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Agriculture Schemes Eligibility
Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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188. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out his Department's official definition of agricultural activity under the 2015 area aid schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16763/15]
Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, agricultural activity is defined as follows:
(i) production, rearing or growing of agricultural products, including harvesting, milking, breeding animals, and keeping animals for farming purposes,
(ii) maintaining an agricultural area in a state which makes it suitable for grazing or cultivation without preparatory action going beyond usual agricultural methods and machinery, based on criteria established by Member States on the basis of a framework established by the Commission, or
(iii) carrying out a minimum activity, defined by Member States, on agricultural areas naturally kept in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation.
The framework established by the Commission is outlined in Article 4 of Commission Delegated Act (EU) No 639/2014, which provides as follows:
“1. For the purposes of the point (ii) of Article 4(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013, the criteria that farmers are to meet in order to fulfil the obligation to maintain the agricultural area in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation without preparatory action going beyond usual agricultural methods and machineries shall be established by Member States in either or both of the following ways:
| - | Criteria |
|---|---|
| (a) | Member States require at least one annual activity to be carried out by a farmer. Where justified for environmental reasons, Member States may decide to recognise also activities that are carried out only every second year; |
| (b) | Member States set out the characteristics to be met by an agricultural area in order to be deemed maintained in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation.” |
I have decided that in Ireland that agricultural activity will be based on Article 4 (1) (b) of Regulation (EU) No 639/2014, which involves setting the characteristics for an agricultural area to be deemed in a state suitable for grazing or cultivation. This option is the most appropriate one taking into account the divergent nature of land in Ireland and provides as much flexibility as is possible for individual farmers.
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