Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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156. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that TAMS 3 funding under the solar capital investment scheme is limited to farmers who have a minimum of five hectares of owned, leased or rented lands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28447/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Applications for investment support under the TAMS 3 Solar Capital Investment Scheme are limited to holdings with at least five hectares of owned, leased or rented land or those that generate a minimum of 20 production units from farming (an enterprise generating 20 Production Units would equate to 25 sows in a Sow Breeding Enterprise for example).

The eligibility criteria under the scheme are designed to determine that the holding is an agricultural enterprise. I am satisfied that the scheme is achieving its overall objective by encouraging the purchase of solar investments to lower the energy costs at farm level, and to support a more resilient agriculture sector.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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157. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to examine the case of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28457/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the Agriculture Appeals Office operates independently of my Department.

I have been informed, however, that the Agriculture Appeals Office received an appeal from the person-named on 16th August 2023 (ref 359/23 and not 259/23). I am also informed the Agriculture Appeals Office requested a statement on the grounds of appeal and the related documents from my Department and received same on the 23rd November 2023. I understand the appeal was assigned to an Appeals Officer on the 7th December 2023 and I am informed that the Appeals Officer has been in contact with the Appellant on June 27th and informed them that a hearing will be scheduled for July 2024.

With regard to the penalty being deducted from payments, I wish to inform the Deputy, as outlined in the terms and conditions of BEAM, where a penalty is applied, the applicant shall be required to reimburse the Department by the amount of the penalty or the amount of the penalty may be deducted from subsequent payments by the Department, under any scheme, to the applicant. If the herdowners appeal to the Appeals Office is deemed successful, the penalty will be disapplied and then repaid to the herdowner in full.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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158. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when participants in ACRES 1 will be informed of the measures available to choose from in order to receive the ACRES top-up grant; the reason for the delay in this matter; if, in view of inflation, farmers can buy materials for this scheme and use them after the approved date; if they will be entitled in time to a reimbursement of the costs of these materials; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28529/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I presume that the Deputy is referring to the option of selecting Non-productive Investments (NPIs) and/or Landscape Actions which are available to participants within the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme Co-Operation stream (ACRES CP). Over the lifetime of an ACRES CP contract a participant has the potential to receive a maximum of €52,500 over 5 years through a combination of a maximum annual core payment of €7,000 and an additional budget of €17,500 for Non-Productive Investments and Landscape Actions spread over the five-year period of the Scheme.

The application window for NPIs opened for ACRES Tranche 1 participants in December 2023 and, following an extensive screening process by the CP teams, decision letters are scheduled to issue in the second half of 2024. Details on claiming payment for NPIs will be published later this year. Applicants will also have further opportunities to apply for NPIs when new application windows open.

The development of the Landscape Action element of ACRES Co-operation is also being progressed and a draft list of possible actions will be published when finalised.

No works should be carried out, nor materials purchased, until participants are approved to carry out NPIs or Landscape Actions, as they will not be reimbursed. As outlined in the terms and conditions, the cost of NPIs and/or Landscape Actions will be repaid to a participant on receipt of a valid claim.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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159. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the 2023 BPS, ANC and ECO scheme payments to a farmer in County Kerry (details supplied) will be reviewed given the significant reduction in their payments in comparison to payments for 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28606/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The above named applicant was paid €3,331.37 in BPS payments, €3,365.28 in ANC payments and €1,465.80 in Greening payments in 2022.

For 2023, the applicant was paid €2,999.80 in BISS payments, €3,365.28 in ANC payments and €721.59 in ECO payments to date.

To date ECO payments have issued on 10.77 ha and have resulted in a payment of €721.59. A supplementary payment will issue this week of €1,033.17.

This Herd was previously in the Green, Low-Carbon, Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS). GLAS concluded in 2022 when the successor agri-environment scheme the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) began. The 2022 GLAS advance payment issued to this herd in December 2022, while the balance payment issued in March 2023.

An application was received in the name of this herd owner for the General stream of ACRES tranche 1. An interim payment issued to the person named in February 2024.

Balancing payments have commenced and will continue to issue regularly to facilitate all cases that pass through the validation process. The balancing payment claim associated with this herd has not yet cleared all validations. Department officials are actively examining the case to allow the payment to be made as quickly as possible.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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160. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that payments due under Acres will issue at the earliest possible date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28648/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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ACRES payments for 2023 commenced over the period December 2023 to January 2024, when €88.35 million was issued in advance payments to 19,719 ACRES General participants.

In recognition of the complexity of the scheme and the time required to fully process all payments, interim payments issued to all other participants in February and March 2024. Payments of €4,000 were made to General participants and €5,000 to Co-Operation participants.

My Department commenced balancing payments on the 19th of June. A total of 31,081 participants have been paid to date, with total payments made to ACRES participants amounting to just over €233 million. Further balancing payments will continue to be made on a fortnightly basis as cases are cleared.