Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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325. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the payments a person (details supplied) received for the organics farming scheme each year since the commencement date of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14905/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The person named is a participant in the Organic Farming Scheme. The area eligible for payment is the amount declared as organic on BPS for the year in question. However it should be noted that parcels included on certain actions in GLAS or AEOS are not entitled to payment in the Organic Farming Scheme.

The person named has selected the GLAS actions Low Input Permanent Pasture and Traditional Hay Meadows so parcels that contain these actions are not entitled to a payment under the Organic Farming Scheme. He was previously an applicant in the AEOS and had selected actions there which similarly meant that some areas were not payable under the Organic Farming Scheme.

The Organic Farming Scheme attracts a payment of €220 per hectare during the 24 month in conversion period and €170 per hectare for the remainder of the contract. The contract start date of the person named was 1 June 2015.

Accordingly in 2017 he is entitled to payment for 7 months at the higher in conversion rate and 5 months at the maintenance rate on an area eligible for payment under the Organic Farming Scheme of 23.494 hectares. Due to his participation in AEOS he was not entitled to an Organic Farming Scheme payment on certain parcels therefore his area for payment in the Organic Farming Scheme in 2015 and 2016 was 13.79 hectares and 17.57 hectares respectively.

The following payments were processed in this case

2015 Advance Payment €1375.52

2015 Balance Payment €242.74

2015 Additional Payment €67.23

2016 Advance Payment €3287.40

2016 Balance Payment €580.20

2017 Advance Payment €3898.23