Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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789. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to change the basic payment scheme, BPS, under which some young trained farmers receive very low payments based on a situation that pertained approximately 20 years ago in terms of historic stocking density; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34552/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Basic Payment Scheme came into effect in 2015 and established payment entitlement values under the scheme from that date. While the value of individual entitlements can be traced back to an initial reference period of 2001-2003, the effect of this has been significantly moderated through convergence. During the current CAP programme, farmers who held low value entitlements have benefitted from this process; farmers with entitlement values less than 90% of the average have seen their entitlement values increase over the period 2015-2019. In 2019, all entitlement values reached a minimum of 60% of the national average.

The draft of the new CAP proposes a continuation of the process of internal convergence to a minimum of 75% of the national average, with the European Parliament arguing for a higher level of convergence. At present, negotiations regarding the new CAP are still ongoing, with the process now entering the trilogue stage after recent agreement on a general approach by the Council of Agriculture Ministers.