§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the current arrangements for funding direct support payments to new entrants to farming; what consideration she is giving to introduce greater flexibility; and if she has raised these matters with her European counterparts.
§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard[holding answer 25 May 1994]: Current arrangements for funding direct support payments to new entrants to farming are, in the main, adequate given the complexity of the schemes concerned and the need to maintain the integrity of the integrated administration and control systems as an anti-fraud measure. However, I recognise that there are anomalies in the case of livestock farmers acquiring land after the IACS deadline because they cannot benefit from the IACS related livestock subsidies in that year. Officials are currently discussing with the European Commission whether it might be possible to allow transfer to take place in some clearly defined circumstances, provided proper controls were in place to prevent fraud.
§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what measures are presently in place to ensure that new entrants coming to farming after the deadline for the submission of IACS forms are not deprived of payments for the period up to the deadline in the following year; and what is the reason for these measures;
(2) what scope there is to provide new entrants coming to farming after 15 May with direct headage payments in respect of the period before the IACS year beginning May 1995.
§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard[holding answer 25 May 1994]: An IACS form is not required from farmers wishing to 311W claim under the Sheep Annual Premium Scheme, or up to 15 livestock units under the beef special premium and suckler cow premium schemes provided they do not wish to receive the extensification premium. We are considering what arrangements should be made for hill livestock compensatory allowances in 1995 and will shortly be consulting the industry on proposals. The Council regulation establishing the arable area payments scheme specifically requires applications for payment to be submitted by 15 May and it is not possible for a new entrant to claim such payments retrospectively.
§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what circumstances it is a condition for direct support payments that a new entrant takes up occupancy of the farm on which the claim is to be based before the deadline for submission of IACS forms.
§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard[holding answer 25 May 1994]: In order to be eligible for arable area payments, beef special premium, suckler cow premium or hill livestock compensatory allowances, each farmer must submit annually an IACS form, including all of the land farmed, by the deadline. EC rules provide limited exemptions from this requirement for livestock farmers who wish to claim no more than 15 livestock units under the beef special premium or suckler cow premium schemes and do not wish to claim the extensification premium.
§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what provision exists for new entrants to give forewarning of the intention to assume occupancy of a farm after the annual closing date for submission of IACS forms in order to secure annual payments adjusted to reflect the period when the farmer is in actual occupation.
§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard[holding answer 25 May 1994]: There are no specific provisions dealing with these circumstances.
§ Dr. StrangTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what flexibility EC laws allow with regard to setting the date for submission of IACS forms to give entitlement to new entrants coming to farming after the last date for submitting claims.
§ Mrs. Gillian Shephard[holding answer 25 May 1994]: The EC rules require IACS forms to be submitted by 31 March. The Commission may allow a member state to set a later date, up to 15 May, if it is satisfied that this still allows proper checks to be carried out. In the United Kingdom, we have applied the latest possible date of 15 May. In circumstances where the IACS form relates only to permanent pasture, a member state may decide that it can be submitted at the same time as the first livestock application, but not later than 1 July.