Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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651. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current criteria for the ANC payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4288/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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To be eligible for payment under the 2016 Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme, an applicant in his/her own right must, in the first instance, comply with the Terms and Conditions of the scheme, including the requirements to:

- Hold a valid Herd Number issued by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

- Occupy and farm in his/her own right and at his/her own risk a minimum of 3 hectares of forage land, situated in an area within the State designated as disadvantaged by the Minister and classified as Less Severely Handicapped Lowland or as a Coastal Area with Specific Handicaps or as More Severely Handicapped Lowland or as Mountain Type Grazing.

- Submit a valid 2016 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and other area based application form.

- Apply for the ANC scheme by ticking the appropriate box on the BPS application form 

- Undertake to farm and manage the land applied on in 2016, for the full calendar year.

- Comply with Cross Compliance requirements set down in EU legislation (Directives and Regulations) on the environment, food safety, animal health and welfare, and plant health and must maintain the farm in good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC).

- Maintain a minimum stocking rate of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare for a period of seven consecutive months

- Maintain an annual average stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectares.