Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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485. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the EU regulation that requires that a person must have an agricultural qualification to qualify for entitlements under the national reserve; his plans to have this regulation amended to facilitate returning emigrants applying to the national reserve for entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5877/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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EU Regulation 1307/2013 provides for the establishment of a National Reserve to provide an allocation of entitlements at the national average level or a top-up on existing entitlements that are below the national average to two priority mandatory categories of ‘young farmer’ and ‘new entrant to farming’.  The definition applying to both categories of ‘young farmer’ and ‘new entrant to farming’ are set down in Regulation 1307/2013.  The National Reserve is designed to provide financial support to young farmers and new entrants to farming during the crucial early years immediately following the setting up of a farming enterprise.

In accordance with EU Regulation 1307/2013 Member States may define additional eligibility criteria as regards appropriate skills, experience or education.  Decisions in relation to the inclusion of additional educational criteria for the Basic Payment Scheme National Reserve were taken in consultation with the Direct Payment Advisory Committee, which comprises members of the main farming bodies, education and advisory services.  Since the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme in 2005, Ireland has applied a requirement that successful applicants under the National Reserve must have an appropriate agricultural educational qualification. This requirement is in place to ensure that National Reserve funding is targeted at bona fide young farmers. Since the introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme National Reserve in 2015 there have been a number of successful applicants who have acquired their eligible agricultural educational qualification outside Ireland.