Exceptions spelled out by Walsh

ONLY exceptional circumstances such as death, long-term sickness or severe natural disaster will allow farmers to qualify for decoupled CAP single payments based on years other than 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Farmers who had let their entire land during the three-year reference period cannot establish entitlements.

“However, if such farmers can demonstrate to the satisfaction of my Department that they were obliged to lease their land because of force majeure, or exceptional circumstances, they may request that entitlements be established for them on the basis of the years 1997, 1998 and 1999”, said Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh in a Dáil reply to Fine Gael spokesman Billy Timmins, TD.