Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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446. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding a farm payment penalty for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8429/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The person named submitted an application under the 2017 BPS on 21 April 2017.  In order to qualify for payment under the BPS an applicant must have an eligible hectare of land in respect of each entitlement held. 

My Department actively investigates incidents of illegal burning using satellite imagery.  Where land has been burned between the period of 1 March and 31 August of any given year it is not eligible for payment under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).

As part of the process of determining land eligibility, parcels declared by the person named on his 2017 BPS application have been identified as having been burned outside of the permitted timeframes.  Accordingly, such lands are not eligible for the purpose of a BPS payment and this has created an over claim on the named person's BPS application.  The over claimed land has been excluded from the BPS application of the person named. He was paid on the remaining eligible  hectares in December of 2017.

The person named was notified by my Department on 4 December 2017 about the burned land parcels and  has submitted an appeal.  This appeal is being examined with a view to an early resolution.  Should additional information be required, my Department will contact the person named directly.