Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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96. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department collates statistics on the number of persons who obtain a green cert qualification; and, if so, if he will provide a year-by-year breakdown of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46378/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Green Cert programme is accredited by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), the national agency responsible for assessing the fitness of providers and validating education programmes in Ireland leading to QQI awards.

My Department does not collate statistics on the number of persons who obtain the Green Cert. It is important to note that the Green Cert is delivered by a number of different education providers from across the further education system. Teagasc, which operates under the aegis of my Department, is the largest provider in the State. Some Employment and Training Boards (ETBs), which operate under the aegis of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science also deliver the Green Cert as do a small number of private providers.

Insofar as my Department is concerned, we work in tandem with Teagasc to maximise participation in their Green Cert programme. I have asked Teagasc to directly provide the Deputy with yearly statistics on completions over the last 10 years.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am delighted to say that the ANC, BISS & CRISS have commenced payments on the dates communicated to farmers in March at rates in line with previous years and we are on target to commence eco-scheme payments next week as was detailed also. This is a considerable achievement in the first year of the new CAP when a whole range of new schemes are being introduced along with substantial changes to existing schemes over a relatively short time period.

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 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 changed 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 has been introduced to ensure the person receiving the scheme payments is the person farming the land. These are all important changes, which will benefit farmers.

In addition, the mechanisms used by my Department to check the scheme requirements for many of the schemes have changed in 2023, especially with the mandatory introduction of the Area Monitoring System as required under EU regulations. The Area Monitoring System has many significant benefits for Irish farmers including a reduction in the number of on-farm physical inspections and the introduction of warning alerts to farmers so as to minimise the occurrence of non-compliances, allowing farmers to correct mistakes and giving farmers and advisors more time to respond to queries with no impact on their payment.

It should also be noted that the closing date for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and other area-based schemes applications (including the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme) was extended to two weeks later than previous years and thereby provided farmers and advisors more time to submit their applications before the closing date.

The timelines for all schemes, including the planned payment dates, have been set taking account of the impact of introducing a whole suite of new schemes, new applications systems, new monitoring systems, new validation and processing systems and new payment systems.

A letter issued earlier to farmers in March this year regarding the revised payment dates for 2023. This information was provided as early as possible to allow farmers time to plan. A further letter reconfirming these dates was delivered in early September and my Department has delivered on these dates. These revisions have been made as a result of the changes brought about under the new CAP.

I am very aware of the importance of these advance payments for farmers and In line with commitments given at meetings of the Charter of Rights for Farmers earlier this year. My Department is committed to bringing 2024 payment dates back in line with the previous programme when the technological and administrative challenges brought about by the new CAP programme have been fully addressed.