Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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1440. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has given consideration to implementing measures to target the issue of re-occurring dual claim cases on a yearly basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59077/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme allows farmers to submit land parcels and plots on their applications and make changes as necessary, in order to qualify for the scheme payments.

My Department is committed to assisting with the submission of accurate and valid applications for the BISS Scheme. The 2025 Terms and Conditions for the Scheme qualify the meaning of having land at the herd owners disposal to mean that - “In submitting an application: herd owners are declaring that all the details contained in your application are true and complete; they confirm that they are aware of the conditions attaching to the Schemes for which application is made as set out in the 2025 Terms and Conditions, and agree to comply fully with those requirements; they confirm that all the land declared on the application will be at their disposal from the beginning of the year until after 31 May 2025 or from before 31 May 2025 to 31 December 2025 for BISS” and that they are actively farmed.

Where parcels are identified as Dual Claims at Preliminary checks stage, my Department will write to the herd owners and either party can rescind the claimed parcel at that time without penalty.

Where two herd owners continue to claim a parcel from my Department will write to both asking for proof of disposal i.e. lease/rental agreement or folio number in the herd owners name. Following a review of the supplied evidence where an applicant is deemed not have the right to declare the land an appropriate penalty will be applied. My Department remains ready to assist farmers with all aspects of their applications but ultimately the resolution of who has the right to declare a contested parcel is a civil matter.