Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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676. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of the decision making process for the new distribution of area aid payments; when the decision will be made; the details of the per farmer redistribution amount if the upper limit was brought down from €60,000 to the average farm income of €24,000; and the steps he will take to ensure that there is not a continuous exiting of farming by farmers who are at the lowest area aid levels. [22695/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am acutely aware of the importance of the financial support provided under Direct Payment schemes for Irish farmers. The aim of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is to support farming across all sectors, the redistributive mechanisms currently in place under Pillar I seek to create a more even payment landscape between farmers.

These redistributive mechanisms are a core EU policy and are set to continue under the draft regulations for the new CAP. There has been extensive engagement and consultation with stakeholders on this process since the draft proposals were announced. I continue to engage with stakeholders with a view to ensuring that the developing EU regulations include a suite of measures which will enable us to ensure the fair implementation of these vital financial supports.

Discussions are continuing around the new legislative proposals for the CAP and the final shape of the regulations and the options available to Member States will not be clear until this process is concluded. The Department continues to play a proactive role in this process.

The draft proposals currently include a number of measures which concern redistribution of direct payments, including:

1. an overall cap of €100,000;

2. degressive reduction of payments above €60,000;

3. a complementary redistributive income support scheme, and

4. the convergence of payments towards the average payment per hectare nationally.

The Department has carried out preliminary modelling exercises, including a review of the implications of capping of payments; the results of which have been made available online. However, any analysis only remains current until one of these elements changes.

Under these draft regulations degressive reduction of payments can only commence above €60,000, a cap of payments below this value is not permissible.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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677. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current stocking rate to qualify for ANC payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22703/21]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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678. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the current qualifying stocking rate for ANC payments can be achieved with horses only; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22704/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 677 and 678 together.

Under the terms and conditions of the 2021 Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme, applicants are required to meet a minimum stocking level of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare for their area declared under the 2021 ANC Scheme. The following animals may be considered, providing the relevant eligibility criteria are met - cattle, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, and deer.

In addition to this minimum stocking density requirement, applicants must also satisfy a retention period requirement. For the 2021 scheme, this required retention period is seven consecutive months within the calendar year where the stocking density on the holding has to be equal to or greater than 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare.

The relevant livestock unit values that apply to these animals are set out below.

* Only 50% of the stocking density requirement can be fulfilled using donkeys. Applicants will be required to use other livestock to fulfil the other 50% requirement.