Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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274. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on reviewing the current two and three crop rule in any future CAP reform as being proposed by grain growers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7929/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The matter of crop diversification and the implementation of equivalence is an issue that my Department and I have raised concerns about with the Commission on a number of occasions in the context of simplification of the current CAP. In fact, it was one of the areas we identified to the Commission that could be simplified as part of our initial submission on simplification of the CAP in 2015.

Ireland further submitted that, under the provisions in Regulation 1307/2013 (direct payments) relating to equivalent practices, farmers should be allowed to continue to grow only one arable crop if they join an agri-environmental scheme and sow 25% of their arable land to catch crops. However, despite numerous efforts by my Department to have this provision reviewed, the Commission has continued to hold the view that the farmer must sow 100% of the area to catch crops.

Unfortunately, the simplification proposals on greening practices subsequently introduced by the Commission in 2016, did not address the equivalent practices as they relate to crop diversification.

Modernising and simplifying the CAP is at the core of the Commission's vision for the future of the CAP post 2020. I continue to believe that improvements can be made in the area of crop diversification and equivalence, and this is something I will continue to pursue.