Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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907. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the BPS and organic farming scheme operate on separate mapping systems; the reason for such; if it is intended in the future to operate from a single system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16610/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Basic Payment Scheme and the Organic Farming Scheme use the same mapping system known as the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS).

LPIS was introduced in 2019. The overall objective is to ensure the most efficient delivery of €1.6 billion of EU-funded scheme payments to applicants, in line with regulatory requirements. The LPIS gives farmers a more accurate representation of land parcel boundaries and is based on the most up-to-date technologies and Ordnance Survey Ireland mapping standards.

While both schemes use LPIS, the Basic Payment Scheme payments are calculated using the Maximum Eligible Area (MEA) and currently the Organic Farming Scheme is paid on the lower of the claimed area and reference area as declared by the participant on their annual BPS application. When the online Organic Farming Scheme was developed in 2015, it was decided to use this method of calculation as this was a more accurate basis for determining the applicant’s payment.

From 2023, under the new CAP, Organics will align with the new Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and use the same area as the basis for payment so as to facilitate a more simplified approach and remove the requirement for organic farmers to enter an additional area.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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908. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he intends to open a scheme for the group of farmers known as the so-called forgotten farmers in 2022; the payment rates at which the scheme will operate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16611/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government ‘Our Shared Future’contains a commitment to seek to resolve the issue of support for the category of farmers known as Forgotten Farmers.

I have asked officials in my Department to examine options to address the issue of forgotten farmers both through the next CAP and also through other measures to support this group.

I am committed to helping this cohort of farmers and I will bring forward proposals as soon as possible. Many of these farmers find themselves in this situation through no fault of their own and we will work with them to address this issue.