Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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766. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a farm payment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12650/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The named individual did not submit a Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application in 2017 and his 2018 application did not claim any land. In order to activate a payment entitlement under BPS, an applicant must have and claim an eligible hectare to match each payment entitlement.

All entitlements allocated under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the National Reserve are subject to a two-year usage rule. If a farmer has unused entitlements for two consecutive years, the lowest value entitlements held by that farmer revert to the National Reserve in the second year of non-usage. As the named person did not submit a BPS application with land for more than two years, his entitlements reverted to the National Reserve.  The effect of this was that in the years following 2018, he  did not have any payment entitlements.

An appeal has been received in relation to this case and an official from my Department has been in contact with the applicant seeking additional material in relation to this appeal. Once received, the additional information will be examined, and a decision will be made in relation to the appeal.