“The current system for the calculation of penalties is based on different categories that can result in penalties of sometime more than double that which is over-declared, I have replaced the different categories by a simple penalty, which is 1.5 times the area over-declared,” said Hogan. “This reduced level of penalties will apply from 2016.”

Last week, the IFA said that the European Commission has made a commitment that all farmers will start with a clean sheet in 2016 with regard to the new regime on tolerances. Commissioner Hogan's office has confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal that farmers “having received a yellow card will be registered and where appropriate will be subject to an on-the-spot control inspection the following year.”

The recent changes are made up of three parts;

1. Preliminary checks of aid applications.

2. A simplified system of administrative penalties

3. A ‘yellow’ card system for first offenders.

Next step

The next step for Hogan in his mission to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the review of greening.

“Later this year, I intend to assess the implementation of the greening rules after their first year of application and, as mentioned in the REFIT part of the Commission Work Programme, come with concrete proposals where appropriate,” said Hogan. “To this end, I launched a twelve-week 12 public consultation in December last.”

Based on this review, Hogan aims to present a package of changes to Delegated and Implementing Acts before summer 2016 and anticipates that changes should become applicable as of claim year 2017.

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