Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

440. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the farmers' charter between his Department and farming organisations has agreed on payment dates for RDP schemes in 2017 and 2018; and if yes, the dates agreed upon. [48917/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Farmers' Charter of Rights is effectively an agreement between farm representative organisations and my Department. It sets down, inter alia, agreed target timelines for delivery of payments in respect of the schemes, including RDP schemes, operated by my Department.

The current Charter will remain in place until 2020 coinciding with the lifetime of the current Pillar I and Pillar II schemes.

The Farmers' Charter of Rights, and the agreed targets contained therein, is available in the customer service area of my Department's website. The target payment timeframes are set out in the 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 very ambitious targets that my Department strives to achieve under the Charter - targets which compare extremely favourably with the payment timeframes of our EU counterparts - cannot legally supersede national or EU law. The Charter cannot grant rights which would affect or change the operation of those laws in so far as they apply to the Schemes in question.