Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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287. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Question No. 590 of 4 April 2017, the status of payments for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21024/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The person named is an applicant or beneficiary under three closely related schemes, i.e. the Burren Farming for Conservation Scheme, its successor the Burren Programme, and the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS).

He has already received payment for 2015 under the Burren Farming for Conservation Scheme and for 2016 under the new Burren Programme.  I can also confirm that he has now been approved into the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) with a contract start date of 1 June 2015. 

As he has already received payment for 2015 under the earlier Burren Farming for Conservation Scheme he will not receive a further payment for that year under the OFS, as it was not possible to benefit under both these  schemes at the same time. However, under the terms and conditions negotiated by my Department for the new Rural Development Programme, I am glad to say that from now on he may be eligible for payment under both the OFS and the new Burren Programme, provided of course that he receives the required field-scores under the latter programme.  The payment due to him for 2016 under the Organic Farming Scheme is now being assessed.