Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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50. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if in the context of CAP reform the Government sought a reduction in the amounts of the basic payment scheme; if so, the level to which it was requested to be reduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46939/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I want to make it clear that the Government has not sought reduction in the amounts allocated for the Basic Payment Scheme, and that as a matter of National policy,  our objective has been to maintain the overall budget for CAP, including the Basic Payment scheme.

In relation to the amount for individual payments, however, since the 16th October 2015, Ireland decided to confine the maximum amount payable to any one applicant under the Basic Payment Scheme (excluding the Greening Payment) to €150,000 per annum.  

Regulation 1307/2013, required payments over €150,000 to be reduced (degressivity) and in this context Ireland applied a 100% cut to any payment over that amount. Ireland had actively supported the concept of a maximum level during the current CAP negotiations back in 2013. 

While the 2016 Programme for Government, proposed a lowering of the cap on basic payments from €150,000 to €100,000 during a mid term review of the CAP, this opportunity is unlikely to arise as there will be no mid term review of the existing CAP and a lowering of the limit would require a legislative change of the Basic Act 1307/2013 (Direct Payments Regulation) in Council, something that has not been envisaged as part of the Commission ongoing simplification and modernisation programme of the existing CAP. I am however committed to addressing this matter in the context of the future reform of the CAP, with the Commission scheduled to publish a communication on CAP post 2020, on 29 November 2017. 

In that context, my Department received a leaked document on 19 October 2017 titled the “The Future of Food and Farming” and it is assumed this is an early draft of the Commission communication scheduled for 29 November 2017. While the extent to which its content will be reflected in the final communication is of course unclear, a notable element included is the suggestion to cap direct payments at between €60,000 and €100,000. My officials are currently examining the impact of such a proposal.