Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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380. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 305 of 31 March 2015, the progress that has been made in relation to an application for a green low-carbon agri-environmental scheme planner number in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20020/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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EU Regulations governing the Direct Payment Schemes requires my Department to operate a Farm Advisory System (FAS) to provide advice to farmers on a range of issues relating to land and farm management. The regulations require that advisors are suitably qualified and regularly trained. In addition, in order to be approved as a GLAS Advisor, an advisor must also be an approved FAS advisor.

In order to be approved as a FAS/GLAS advisor my Department requires that all advisors must have attained a HE TAC Level 8 Bachelor Degree in Agricultural Science/Land Management in Agriculture and must have taken soil science and an animal or crop production subject to a Level 8 (NFQ) degree standard. The educational qualification submitted by the person named were fully examined by Department Officials and it was determined than they did not meet the requirements specifically in relation to soil science. A letter outlining the position issued to the person named on 17 April 2015.