Written answers

Thursday, 2 February 2017

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

GLAS Payments

Photo of Bobby AylwardBobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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17. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of delayed GLAS payments for 2016 to farmers in counties Carlow and Kilkenny; and the reason for same. [4850/17]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Under the EU Regulations governing the Green, Low-Carbon, Agri-Environment Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. 

The position in relation to Co. Carlow is that 283 farmers are active in GLAS 1 and 131 farmers in GLAS 2.  A total of 202 in GLAS 1 and 106 GLAS 2, have successfully completed the GLAS prepayment checks in respect of the 2016 scheme year and a first payment instalment of 85% has issued. 

In respect of Co. Kilkenny the corresponding figures are 445 GLAS 1 and 216 GLAS 2 active in GLAS with 320 in GLAS 1 and 169 in GLAS 2 having received their first payment of 85%. 

The balancing payment due to farmers in both counties who have received 85% of their 2016 payment will issue later in the year when the last of the required on the spot inspections has been initiated.

81 GLAS 1 and 25 GLAS 2 Carlow applications and 125 GLAS 1 and 47 GLAS 2 Kilkenny applications continue to be processed with a view to effecting payment as early as possible.

Outstanding payments under both GLAS 1 and GLAS 2 are largely delayed due to declaration of incompatible parcel usage on the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application for a chosen GLAS action; changes in parcel boundaries on which a GLAS action is chosen including splitting or merging of parcels; an applicant no longer claiming a parcel on their 2016 BPS; incomplete documentation such as incorrect information on Low-Emission Slurry Declaration; incomplete interim commonage management plans and incompatible data and parcel history on Department databases.

Payments under the Scheme will continue to issue on an ongoing basis as issues are resolved and cases are cleared for payment.

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