Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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453. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a GLAS application in respect of a person (details supplied); when payment will be processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33855/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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An application for Tranche 2 of the GLAS Scheme for the person named was received on the dedicated GLAS online system on the 14 December 2015.

The unprecedented level of applications to GLAS 2 meant that priority is being given to what are called Tier 1 and Tier 2 candidates, i.e. those who either manage key environmental assets like endangered birds, protected habitats or high-quality water courses, or who have committed to undertake particularly valuable environmental actions like growing feed-crops for wild birds, adopting low-impact tillage techniques or using low-emission slurry spreading methods.

Farmers had been urged to present the highest standard environmental plans under GLAS 2, and to adopt actions that would promote them from Tier 3 to a higher tier, thereby significantly increasing the chance of selection. Over 80% of applicants in the second tranche of GLAS opted to do so, and with the funding available were approved.

The application for the person named was ranked as a Tier 3 application and it was therefore not selected into the scheme.

A third Tranche of GLAS (GLAS 3) is currently open for applications and the person named has the opportunity now to re-examine their proposed farm-plan, in consultation with their advisor, and see how it might be improved to increase their chance of selection into GLAS 3.