Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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1037. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address matters (details supplied) with regard to the European Commission's figures on direct payments for 2015. [13202/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The report on Indicative figures referred to by the Deputy relates to the 2015 European Financial Year which covered the last year of the Single Payment Scheme (2014).  The 2014 Scheme year was governed by the previous regulations which did not provide for a cap on payments and on that basis 64 applicants were in receipt of payments greater than €150,000.

The maximum amount payable to any one applicant since 16 October 2015 under the Basic Payment Scheme (excluding the Greening Payment) is capped at €150,000 per annum and applies from the first year of the scheme in 2015.  Ireland actively supported the concept of this maximum level during the CAP negotiations.  Under the new Direct Payments Regulations, it was open to Member States to reduce payments over €150,000 by between 5% and 100%.  Ireland chose the highest possible reduction, thus effectively capping BPS payments at €150,000.

By opting for this approach, the direct payments system is made fairer and more equitable while at the same time ensuring that the level of redistribution of payments between farmers is not of a scale that could jeopardise the achievement of the Food Wise 2025 objectives.