Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

719. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund-Operational Programme for Ireland prohibits a 50% advance of approved production and marketing plan funding as provided for in Article 66(4) of EU regulation 508/2014 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60428/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ireland's EMFF Programme is nearing its end, with remaining grants mostly being paid out this year and arrangements for closing out the programme commencing.  An exception was made for the Producer Organisation Scheme, in that commitments have been made to pay grants in 2023 to fund PO's 2022 activities.  The new European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund Regulation (2021/1139) was adopted in July 2021 and work is well advanced on preparing a new Seafood Development Programme 2021-27 under that Regulation.  It is anticipated that the new Programme will be adopted by the Commission by the end of 2022.  Under this Programme, new schemes, including those relevant to Producer Organisations, will be brought forward in due course. 

The present EMFF Producer Organisation Scheme provides supports to recognised and prospective Producer Organisations.  Part A of the scheme provides supports of up to €55,000 to groups of fisheries or aquaculture producers working to achieve recognition as a PO, while Part B of the scheme supports POs that have been recognised by this Department, up to a maximum of almost €100,000. 

The EU Common Provisions Regulation (1303/2013) provides that grants under the EMFF Programme may take the form of reimbursement of eligible costs actually incurred and paid by the beneficiary, or alternatively through 'Simplified Cost Options' or SCOs, which are essentially fixed grants based on the past grant history of the beneficiary.    

Article 66 of the EMFF Regulation (508/2014) allows the Managing Authority for the EMFF Programme to avail of a partial derogation from the above regulatory requirements, in that a 50% advance may be paid after approval of the PO's production and marketing plan. However, this derogation was not included in the terms of the Producer Organisation scheme, adopted at the outset of the Programme by the EMFF Monitoring Committee. The EMFF Monitoring Committee membership includes the Producer Organisations. The scheme states only that once the PMP is approved by this Department as competent authority and the Annual Report for the year concerned is also approved, expenditure related to implementation of identified measures in the approved PMP, as verified by the Annual Report and necessary vouching documentation, is eligible for support under the scheme. 

Ireland did not avail of the article 66 derogation as advance payments require the sanction of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and in addition, in the absence of official data in the form of grant history, the derogation was not considered to be practicable in this circumstance as there is no data on which to base a 50% advance.  The proposed actions described in the PMP would have not yet been implemented and the Annual Report would not have been prepared, so the costs of actions actually implemented are unknown, and therefore a 50% calculation cannot be made.