Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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22. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farms selected for remote sensing eligibility inspections in 2016; the way in which they were selected; the length of time it takes from selection to the results being relayed back to his Department; the date that such inspections commenced; and the date they finished. [4851/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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EU regulations governing the administration of the Basic Payment Scheme and other area-based schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including Ground or Remote Sensing (Satellite) inspections where applicable, are fully completed to ensure eligibility with the various schemes requirements, before any payments issue. 

A total of 6,214 cases were selected for a remote sensing land eligibility inspection in 2016 under the Basic Payment Scheme, the Greening Payment, the Areas of Natural Constraints (including Islands) Scheme, the Young Farmers Scheme, the Protein Aid Scheme and the Beef Data and Genomics Scheme.  The selection of cases for inspection is set down in EU regulations and is undertaken by means of a risk analysis process with cases being selected on a risk and random basis.  All cases to be selected for inspection must be eligible beneficiaries under the various schemes. Therefore the selection of cases for inspection, while commencing after the closing date for receipt of applications, i.e. 15th May for the 2016 Scheme year, is an on-going process so as to ensure this specific regulatory requirement is adhered to. Furthermore as amendments to applications could be accepted by my Department up to 10th June 2016, the details of the land to be subject to the inspection could not be finally established until this period has elapsed.   

The process of a remote sensing inspection involves a comprehensive review of the satellite imagery received at three stages during the year to ensure that the actual claimed area in the application form corresponds to the area farmed by the applicant, that the crop types are as claimed and that ineligible land or features are not included for payment purposes. The verification of crop types is of particular significance in relation to the ensuring compliance with Crop Diversification requirements for the Greening Payment. The governing regulations further prescribe that where it is not possible to make an accurate determination on the eligibility of a parcel or parcels of land by means of an assessment of the available imagery, a field visit must be undertaken to verify the position on the ground.

As the commencement of a remote sensing inspection is dependent on the receipt of and processing of a range of satellite imagery throughout the year it is not possible to give a definitive commencement date for an inspection. For the 2016 scheme year my Department commenced receiving final remote sensing inspection results from the beginning of September, with results for 99.7% of the selected cases having been received by mid December.  Results for the majority of the remaining cases have now been received with a very small number of cases still outstanding.  My Department is prioritising the processing of all outstanding cases and cases continue to be finalised to payment stage on a daily basis.