Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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9. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to end the unacceptable delays in the payment to eligible participants of moneys due from the GLAS and AEOS schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4840/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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It critical that we protect the Irish countryside for the benefit of all and agri-environment schemes such as GLAS and the earlier AEOS provides support to farmers to do this. Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, have to be completed before payments can issue.  These checks have been completed in the majority of cases and 2016 payments totalling over €120m have already issued to farmers under these Schemes.

GLAS

The number of farmers active in GLAS is almost 37,500, of which 25,825 are in GLAS 1 and 11,667 in GLAS 2.  Almost 20,000 farmers in GLAS 1 and almost 8,700 farmers in 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.  The balancing payment due to farmers 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.

The most recent payments issued on the 30 January 2017 and further payments will issue on  a weekly basis as files clear the required checks.  To comply with governing regulations and strict European Union audit requirements it is absolutely clear that all administrative checks must be passed and eligibility conditions met before payment can issue.

I would also point out that 2016 has been an exceptionally busy year for the GLAS Scheme as an additional 11,500 farmers were processed to approval in GLAS 2 and a further 14,000 new applications were submitted under Tranche 3 and are currently being processed to approval stage with a view to increasing the overall numbers in the scheme to in excess of 50,000 scheme participants from 1 January 2017.  I acknowledge that payment targets have not been fully met, with 3,000 GLAS 1 and almost 6,000 GLAS 2 payments remaining to be fully processed, this is due mainly to unanticipated outcomes of the checks required to be carried out on each application. Available resources are being maximised including the availability of overtime to expedite the processing of outstanding payment files.

Outstanding payments under both GLAS 1 and GLAS 2 are delayed due to a variety of reasons including the 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.

AEOS

Just over 8,615 farmers in the Agri Environment Options Scheme are due a payment in respect of 2016.  A payment has issued to 6,020 AEOS farmers with almost 2,600 remaining to be paid. 

As in GLAS, AEOS 2016 payments are issued in two parts with an advance payment of 85% and the remaining 15% issuing thereafter. 

Outstanding payments under AEOS 2 are largely delayed due to rechecks which must be completed on payments made for all scheme years before the final contract payment can be processed.  Outstanding payments under AEOS 3 are delayed by stocking density checks - farmers had until 31 December 2015 to meet their stocking density on commonages and a density check must be completed before payment can issue.

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