Vol. 552 No. 3
92 Mr. Lowry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the position regarding a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary who, on being depopulated in 2001, was paid a valuation placed on the herd by his Department's officials. [12438/02]
When completing the agreement to have his herd depopulated under the brucellosis eradication scheme, the person concerned opted for compensation purposes to have his reactors valued under the on-farm market valuation scheme by an independent valuer from the panel of valuers established under the scheme. The arrangements for this scheme also include provisions for an appeal valuation to be carried out by another member of the valuer panel and for referral to an arbitration panel in circumstances where the appeal valuation is not accepted by either the farmer or the Department. In this case my Department has referred the case for arbitration. The composition of the arbitration panel has now been agreed and it recently met separately with representatives of the farm bodies and the Department to discuss procedural arrangements in relation to valuation cases referred for arbitration.
It is expected that the procedural arrangements will be finalised very shortly and that the small number of cases awaiting arbitration, including the case of the person indicated, will be dealt with at an early date. A substantial interim valuation differential payment based on the lower valuation issued to the person concerned on 15 October 2001. Any balance due will be made as soon as possible after the panel's decision has been made.
