Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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122. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which all farm support payments already due in 2015 have been paid to date; the number outstanding for technical or other reasons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41993/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In relation to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Greening Payment, I am pleased to confirm that advance payments began issuing in Ireland on 16 October, 2015.   This is the earliest that payments can commence under the governing EU Regulations.  In addition, I can confirm that the level of the advance payment was set at 70% for 2015 rather than the normal 50%.  The increase in the advance payment for 2015 is, in particular, due to the difficulties encountered in the dairying and pig meat sectors. Ireland is among the earliest to pay the BPS in the Euro pean Union and to date, of the approximately 121,000 eligible applicants, 114,372 farmers have received payments totalling € 725.7 million.

In relation to the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme, I can confirm that payments commenced, on schedule, on 23 September 2015. To date, of approximately 102,350 applicants with eligible designated lands, a total of 83,294 farmers have received payments totalling €177.5 million.  There are no advance payments under this scheme. It should be noted that many farmers cannot be paid until early 2016 when they comply with the stocking requirements of the scheme.

As outstanding cases under the BPS, Greening and ANC are processed and are cleared of any outstanding error, they will be sent for payment.   My Department is prioritising the processing of all such outstanding cases with regular payment runs continuing over the coming weeks.  In addition, balancing payments under the BPS and Greening are scheduled to commence from 1 December.