Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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1699. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has examined putting the farmers' charter of rights on a statutory footing with respect to CAP and RDP payments being delivered by agreed timelines; if this is possible under current EU regulations; and the articles in CAP regulations that legislate for payment timelines. [28505/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Farmers Charter of Rights is effectively an agreement between the farm representative organisations and my Department. It sets down agreed target timelines for delivery of payments as well as standards for services, in respect of the schemes operated and services provided by my Department. It also brings clarity to the arrangements around inspections obligations as provided for in the legislation governing the various schemes.

A Farmers’ Charter of Rights Monitoring Committee has been established under an independent chair to monitor these agreed targets and standards. This Committee is comprised of representatives of the main farm organisations and staff of my Department. The Monitoring Committee has met on six occasions since its establishment under the current Charter.

The operation of a number of schemes covered by this Charter is governed by EU/National legislation while others are governed by national law only. The highly ambitious targets that my Department strives to achieve under the Charter - targets which compare very favourably with the payment timeframes of our EU counterparts - cannot legally supersede national or EU law. The Charter therefore cannot grant rights which would affect or change the operation of those laws in so far as they apply to the Schemes and services in question. Accordingly, it is not possible to put the Farmers’ Charter of Rights on a statutory footing.