2011 reference year for stocking rates

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has confirmed that 2011 was the reference year for stocking rates in the re-designed disadvantaged areas scheme.

“If one was below the threshold last year, one’s payment will be removed unless one appeals and gets it back,” he told Dáil Eireann.

“This is not about telling farmers that if they do not increase their stocking rate they will not receive a payment, because farmers would simply increase their stocking rates. This is about making a calculation of the farmers who actively farmed last year and measuring it on the basis of stocking density and the length of time they kept those animals, and whether they were horses, cattle or sheep.”

“Landowners taking on horses for three months of the year to draw down a payment will lose their payment. We can no longer afford this luxury.

“If there was a genuine reason in 2011 that people had a low stocking rate, such as a death in the family, a son or daughter taking over the farm and stocking rates being reduced to wean him or her in, or an illness or disease outbreak in the herd, we want to hear about it and such genuine cases will get their payments back. This is what I mean by an appeal system.

“Some people who simply maintain land to get a disadvantaged areas payment and do the bare minimum with regard to keeping stock for the minimum amount of time will lose their payments, and this is the right approach when we have a reduced amount of money to spend. We must prioritise active and real farmers.”

He said farmers who must have a low stocking rate because they farm in a commonage area and therefore must abide by a commonage framework programme which requires them to have a low stocking rate are exempt from any cuts, and their payments will be maintained.

The Government proposes to require at least 0.3 livestock units in 2011 (equivalent to two ewes per hectare), and 0.15 livestock units per hectare in 2012.

It is proposed to continue with the minimum of 0.15 livestock units in respect of 2012, calculated over the 12 months of the scheme-year, and over a retention period of six months with at least 0.15 units.

These changes, announced in the context of the December Budget have been submitted to Brussels, and the European Commission’s response is expected shortly.