Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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251. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a farm payment to persons (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2227/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named has been approved under Tranche 1 of GLAS with a contract start date of 1 January 2016. There is no 2015 GLAS part year payment due to the person named. The application will be processed in respect of payment for the 2016 scheme year in the final quarter of the year. The first person named has not submitted an application to date under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme. The second person named submitted an application under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme which was received in my Department on 23 April 2015. No payment can issue under the Basic Payment Scheme until entitlements have been allocated.

The second person named held nine entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme totalling €81.16. Under the Single Payment Scheme direct payments of less than €100 did not issue to farmers. As a consequence, EU Regulations provide that such farmers cannot be considered as having received a direct payment in 2013 and do not hold an automatic right to participate in the Basic Payment Scheme.

My Department obtained agreement with the EU Commission that persons who were entitled to receive a payment of less than €100 in 2013 may be considered eligible under the Scottish Derogation measure of the Basic Payment Scheme. In order to be eligible under Scottish Derogation they must produce verifiable evidence that on the 15 May 2013 they ‘produced, reared or grew agricultural products through harvesting, milking, breeding animals and keeping animals for farming purposes.’

My Department identified persons who held entitlements under €100 and invited them to submit an application under the Scottish Derogation if they were otherwise eligible. On 5 of August 2015 a letter and a Scottish derogation application form was issued to the second person named with a request to return the application form to my Department within two weeks. To date no application has been received and the closing date has since passed.

The person named has been approved under Tranche 1 of GLAS with a contract start date of 1 January 2016.

There is no 2015 GLAS part year payment due to the person named. The application will be processed in respect of payment for the 2016 scheme year in the final quarter of the year.