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Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has said that there might not be enough funds for a national reserve in 2017.
The minister was responding to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesperson Charlie McConalogue, who asked him if he will make an allocation for 2016 and 2017 under the national reserve.
Creed answered that due to all available funding having been used in 2015, there was no national reserve in 2016. He added that in order to provide for a national reserve in 2017, funding is required to replenish the reserve.
“EU regulations governing the scheme provide that funding for the replenishment of the national reserve may be obtained by means of surrender of entitlements that remain unused by farmers for two consecutive years and by claw-back derived following the sale of entitlements without land,” he said. “It is envisaged that funding derived from these two sources in 2017 will be very limited,” he added.
According to the minister, the EU regulations also provide for the application of a linear cut to the value of all farmers’ entitlements to replenish the national reserve.
“Decisions in relation to the national reserve for 2017 will be considered once the position on potential funding has been established,” he concluded.
National reserve
In 2015 the national reserve fund was based on a 3% cut to the basic payment scheme financial ceiling and provided some €24.7m in funding - the maximum financing rate available under the relevant EU Regulations. There were some 6,260 successful applicants under the 2015 national reserve.
Young farmer organisation, Macra na Feirme, is calling for the National Reserve to be reopened for the next three years.
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