Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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781. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will reverse the decision to issue areas of natural constraint payments one month later than usual which impacts on the viability of small farmers dependent on these payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15238/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I know how crucial all payments are to our farm families and I am committed to delivering all payments associated with my Department as quickly as possible.

The new CAP 2023 -2027 came into force this year and payments will commence in the final quarter of the year across a very broad range of schemes.

This CAP is dramatically different to that which preceded it. A whole suite of new schemes, new reporting requirements, new applications systems, and new monitoring and control systems have required significant redevelopment of many of my Department's IT and administrative systems.

It can be anticipated that the work to address these new requirements may be front loaded in the lifetime of the current CAP Programme. However, the impact of the enormous redevelopment this year must be taken into account when determining payment deadlines.

I am fully committed to making payments to farmers under the various schemes at the earliest date possible and to the maximum number of farmers possible. My commitment to farmers is evidenced in the very high payment rates achieved across all schemes over the last number of years in both EU and Exchequer funded schemes.

Almost €1.8bn will be paid to farmers across the country in the final quarter of this year. At EU level, Ireland ranks amongst the most efficient Member States in getting payments to farmers expediently and in line with the legal requirements of relevant EU Regulations. I am confident that despite the challenge of implementing and entirely new CAP in 2023, my Department will be among the most efficient in the European Union in terms of issuing CAP payments to farmers this year.