Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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1390. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of persons who applied to join the national reserve in 2016 and to date in 2017; if he will provide a breakdown of which schemes they applied under; the number approved in total; the number denied in tabular form under the following subheadings: young farmers, new entrants, young old; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41599/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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In 2015, funding of some €24m was available under the National Reserve and 6,000 applicants received a allocation of entitlements under the Reserve.

There was no National Reserve in 2016 as all available funding had been utilised under the 2015 scheme. In order to provide for a National Reserve in 2017 funding is required to replenish the Reserve. EU Regulations governing the scheme provide that funding for the replenishment of the National Reserve may be obtained by means of surrender of entitlements that remain unused by farmers for two consecutive years and by clawback derived following the sale of entitlements without land. It is envisaged that funding derived from these two sources in 2017 will be very limited. The Regulations also provide for the option of applying a linear cut to the value of all farmers' entitlements to fund the National Reserve.

Consultation between Department officials and the Direct Payments Advisory Committee comprising members of the main farming organisations, agricultural education and farm advisory bodies takes place annually as part of the decision making process for the National Reserve and consultation in relation to the 2017 Reserve is due to take place in the coming weeks. Decisions in relation to the National Reserve in 2017 will be made once the position on potential funding has been established.