Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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124. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he remains satisfied that farm families here will continue to benefit from Common Agricultural Policy reform in a fair and equitable fashion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41995/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am fully satisfied that farm families in Ireland will continue to benefit in a fair and equitable manner from the ongoing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. This imperative informed my approach to the negotiations in 2012 and 2013, and it continues to inform the process by which the various elements of CAP reform are now being delivered.

Taking the direct payments system as an example, the Deputy may recall that I proposed an alternative approach to the redistribution of direct payments than that originally advocated by the European Commission, precisely because I wanted to ensure that the direct payments system could be made fairer and more equitable while at the same time ensuring that the level of transfer of payments between farmers was not of a scale that might jeopardise our objectives for the development of the sector. We now have a system which satisfies these two requirements. The advance payments that commenced last month - which will be followed by balancing payments from next week - represented the start of a process that, by 2019, will see a considerable shift in the balance of payments from those previously receiving very high rates per hectare to those previously receiving much lower rates of payment. I believe that this not only makes the direct payments system fairer, but also ensures that it continues to provide support and income stability that will allow farmers to respond to the demands of the market. As such, it also provides a vital tool to help us achieve the objectives outlined in the Food Wise 2025 strategy.

I have also taken significant steps to encourage the participation of young farmers in agriculture, which is vital in terms of securing the critical role that farm families play in the development of the sector. In addition to providing for a top-up of direct payments, I have ensured that young farmers are prioritised in the allocation of payment entitlements from the national reserve. These direct payments measures are further complemented by supports under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme where, for example, enhanced support for capital investment by young farmers has been made available under the TAMS schemes.

More generally under Pillar 2 of the CAP, I am focussed on the socio-economic development of our farms and of our rural areas so that all farm families have an opportunity to realise their potential. Schemes for improving sustainability (such as GLAS and the Beef Data and Genomics Programme) and competitiveness (such as TAMS) are complemented by continued strong support for disadvantaged areas (now known as Areas of Natural Constraint). I believe this combination provides a vital range of supports that will allow farm families to continue to benefit from the CAP in an equitable manner while supporting their development over the coming years.