Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1567. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address the case of a person (details supplied) regarding the BEEP scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42263/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The objective of the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme – Suckler (BEEP-S) is to further increase economic and environmental efficiency in the suckler herd through better quality data on herd performance, supporting decision making on farm and support of best practice in welfare management. The scheme in 2021 is an annual scheme as was the scheme in 2020 and the pilot in 2019.

Applications for BEEP-S 2021 were made via the Department's online application system at www.agfood.ie. The scheme opened for applications on 16th March 2021 and the closing date for receipt of applications was Monday 26th April 2021. There was a 25 calendar day period after the closing date for the acceptance of late applications.

As with many payment schemes that are applied for on-line and administered by the Department, applicants may lodge the application themselves or alternatively they may authorise an agent to lodge the application on their behalf.

The Department issued two Press Releases on 16th March and 13th April 2021 on the BEEP-S and Dairy Beef schemes for 2021.

In addition, the Department issued five text reminders regarding BEEP-S to those who are registered to receive texts from the Department. The first two texts went to just over 107,000 people on each occasion while the fourth text on 21st April 2021 went to just over 8,000 farmers who were participants in the 2020 BEEP-S but who, as of that date, had not yet applied for BEEP-S 2021.

The person named had not opted to receive texts from the Department and therefore the Department was precluded from sending communications to him by text.

There is no record of any attempt to create or lodge a BEEP-S 2021 application in respect of the named person. The Department received correspondence requesting a review of the non-submission of a BEEP-S application in July 2021 and again in August, 2021. Officials responded to both letters in July and August, 2021 with the August letter advising of the right to appeal to the Agriculture Appeals Office.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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1568. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a BPS payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42267/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The named person submitted their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application on 12th May 2021 in which he declared certain parcels eligible for payment under the Basic Payment Scheme. Following a review parcels by Satellite Imagery parcels within this application were identified as being burned between the 1st March and 31st August. It is specified in the 2021 BPS Terms & Conditions that land burnt between these dates is not eligible for payment purposes under the Basic Payment Scheme. Accordingly, the burnt area has been deducted from the eligible area within the parcel leaving a reduced area upon which payment can be claimed for the 2021 BPS scheme year. The claiming of the ineligible area has resulted in an overclaim on this application.

The Department wrote to the person named on 19th August 2021 advising him of the position in relation to this application. This letter includes details of the applicant's right of review and the relevant steps to take to seek a review. An official from the Department will be in contact with the named person to provide assistance in relation to this matter.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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1569. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a BPS payment for 2021 will issue to persons (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42268/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The named persons submitted their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application on 23rd March 2021 in which they declared certain parcels eligible for payment under the Basic Payment Scheme. Following a review parcels by Satellite Imagery a parcel within this application was identified as being burned between the 1st March and the 31st August. It is specified in the 2021 BPS Terms & Conditions that land burnt between the 1st March and 31st August is not eligible for payment purposes under the Basic Payment Scheme. Accordingly, the burnt area has been deducted from the eligible area within the parcel leaving a reduced area upon which payment can be claimed for the 2021 BPS scheme year. The claiming of the ineligible area has resulted in an overclaim on this application.

The Department wrote to the persons named on 19th August 2021 advising them of position in relation to this application. This letter includes details of the applicant's right of review and the relevant steps to take to seek a review. An official from the Department will be in contact with the applicants to provide assistance in relation to this matter.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1570. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application by persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42272/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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An application for the Native Woodland Scheme was submitted on behalf of the persons named in June 2020 and is currently referred to my Department’s Ecology Unit. An ecologist has been assigned to the application and, on initial overview, the ecologist has determined that additional information would be required. An official will shortly be in touch with the applicant’s Registered Forester to discuss requirements for the application. Once any information sought it provided the application will be considered further.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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1571. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the intentions of his Department and progress made to date in providing grant funding for agricultural bridges and underpasses for landholders whose farms are currently divided by road, rail, river or canal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42358/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There are a wide variety of items available under the suite of seven measures under TAMS. However, funding for cattle underpasses is not included. To date, total expenditure under the seven measures of the TAMS, including transitional expenditure, has reached in excess of €304m with commitments of an additional €145m made to scheme participants who have yet to draw down those grants.

Some 43,588 applications have been approved under the scheme. All outstanding approvals issued represent potential outstanding liabilities for the Department and we must have a budget in place to pay these claims. As a result, it is not possible to consider adding additional items such as cattle underpasses to the comprehensive list of investment items already available under TAMS II.

No decision has been made in relation to the interventions to be included in the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP)(2023-2027). To allow for the submission of the draft CSP by the 1st January 2022, the Department is currently undertaking a public consultation on the draft CSP and written submissions were invited from interested parties by the closing date of 3rd September 2021.