Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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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. With this being the first year of the new CAP Strategic Plan, a whole range of new schemes are being introduced along with substantial changes to existing schemes over a relatively short time period.

The Department is fully committed to making payments to farmers under the various schemes at the earliest date possible and to the maximum number of farmers possible. This 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 during this period. 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 attendant EU Regulation.

The new CAP represents a significant evolution of the policy compared to previous iterations. It needs to be clearly understood by all stakeholders that the new CAP introduced a whole new delivery model and established several new schemes.

In 2023, the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is replaced by the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS). While payment will still be paid based on Payment Entitlements, there are substantial changes to the BISS compared to the BPS, including very positive changes to land eligibility and a new active farmer check.

The land eligibility rules have changes from the previous CAP, to allow scheme payments on greater areas of scrub and other areas deemed beneficial for the climate and environment. The active farmer check is being introduced to ensure the person receiving the scheme payments is the person farming the land.

These are all important changes, which will benefit farmers. An advance payment for BISS is expected to be paid on 24th October 2023, in line with the mid-October payment date in previous years.

The other schemes connected to the BISS include:

• The Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS), which is a completely new scheme in 2023. It is commonly known as front-loading. An advance payment for the new CRISS is expected to be paid on 24 October 2023, along with the BISS payment.
• The new Eco Scheme, which replaces many elements of the old Greening Scheme but is essentially a new annual agri-environment scheme starting in 2023. It is designed with a menu of actions so as to make it attractive to as many farmers as possible. An advance payment for the new Eco-scheme is expected to be paid on 31 October 2023.
• Balancing payments for BISS, CRISS and the Eco scheme are expected to issue in December 2023, the same timeline as previous years.
• The Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CIS-YF), which replaces the Young Farmer Scheme in 2023. The CIS-YF payment is expected to be paid in December, the same timeline as previous years.
• The Protein Aid Scheme, which is an existing scheme and is largely unchanged in 2023. The Protein Aid Scheme payment is expected to be paid in December, the same timeline as previous years.
• The Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC), which is an existing scheme but with significant changes to the stocking rate requirement in 2023. The ANC scheme payment is expected to be paid on 17 October, instead of the previous September payment date.
• The Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM), which was a pilot scheme in 2021 & 2022 and is largely unchanged in 2023. The SIM scheme payment is expected to be paid in December, the same timeline as previous years.
• The annual claims for new Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) and the expanded Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) are also made through the BISS application. The ACRES and OFS payments are expected to be paid in November 2023. It was announced at the end of February, that all valid applications from the 46,000 applications submitted would be accepted into the Scheme in 2023.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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456. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a landowner who is getting his agriculture payments (details supplied) is allowed to deny access to people with turbary rights to cut their own turf for their own use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19561/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Disputes that arise between a land owner and a turbary right owner are a private matter between the parties concerned and it would not be appropriate or helpful for me or my Department to comment or offer advice on such matters.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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457. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a refund for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19576/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has been in contact with the person named and he has undertaken to submit additional information. Once this information is received the Department will consider it further and will contact the person named regarding the matter.