Changes likely in reference year 2014 proposal

FARMERS have been advised by Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney not to rush out and start making decisions on the basis of the European Commission proposals on the reference year, because that element of the proposals is likely to change and be amended.

He noted that the Commission has moved to prevent significant land speculation coming from outside the agricultural sector.

While 2014 remains the reference year, what has changed from previously leaked documents or what is likely to come up in documents is that the commission has added a requirement to have eligibility for a payment of some sort under the single farm payment scheme in 2011. “The European Commission is trying to prevent people who want to invest heavily between now and 2014 in order to build up single farm payment eligibility but who are not currently farmers, in other words, to prevent significant land speculation coming from outside the agricultural sector,” said Mr Coveney.