David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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299. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way his Department is working to reduce the burden of bureaucracy, administration, red tape and duplication of requests for information, sometimes already in the possession of his Department, on farmers, especially pertaining to grant applications; his further plans in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30611/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Simplification is a key focus of my Department. The Department has taken full advantage of all the digitisation in recent years. All area-based interventions under the CAP or National Schemes are now applied for on the single platform, agfood.ie. This is a major change and simplification for farmers, who previously had to manually enter information in a number of different places, occasionally leading to duplication.

Grant applications on the platform now remember a farmer’s information between years. Farmers applying for our area-based interventions in 2024 will have seen their 2023 data carried forward, streamlining the application process.

With regard to administrative simplification and red tape, the new CAP made a number of significant changes, that have reduced the burdens on farmers. The first was a change to the basic definition of the eligible hectare. Farmers are no longer required to redline out areas of scrub in order to remain eligible. This saves time and effort for the farmers.

Secondly, my Department has implemented a new Area Monitoring System (AMS). This use of satellite technology reduces the need to conduct on the spot controls (OTSC) and inspections for a number of checks that previously had to be carried out on the ground, and with the cooperation of the farmer. It also gives early warning to farmers when an anomaly or potential non-compliance is detected, meaning that farmers are given an opportunity to address any issues as they arise, and avoid a penalty.

Furthermore, I have participated in making impactful changes to the basic regulations through my work with the European Council, to agree a set of simplification measures. These changes cover a number of areas, including simplifications to the basic Conditionality Standards. Some of these will need to be tailored to the Irish situation through an amendment to the CAP Strategic Plan, later in the year. Others will be implemented immediately, such as an exemption from controls and penalties under the CAP conditionality for 20,000 small farmers farming on less than ten hectares.

I am committed to meaningful simplification for farmers, both for the current 5-year CAP programme and for future CAP reform. As set out above, we have already made large scale and impactful improvements in this area, and we will continue to take every opportunity to make changes to benefit farmers.