Written Answers. - EC Area Aid Livestock Schemes.
Pat Upton
Question:
167
Dr. Upton
asked the
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry
if the closing date for the EC area aid livestock schemes will be deferred in view of the difficulty in getting 25 inch area maps for use in making applications for funding under these schemes.
Paul Connaughton
Question:
176
Mr. Connaughton
asked the
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry
if his attention has been drawn to the confusion that has arisen amongst farmers since his announcement concerning the issue of new area aid application forms; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that his announcement has slowed down the rate of applications; the changes he proposes to make on the new forms; the information currently sought on the existing forms that will be dispensed with in the new forms; if the existing forms can be submitted at this point in time; and when the new forms will be posted to farmers.
Dinny McGinley
Question:
189
Mr. McGinley
asked the
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry
when the amended and simplified AA93 EC application forms will be issued; and if he intends extending the date of receipt.
I propose taking Questions Nos. 167, 176 and 189 together.
Livestock producers who are not applying for arable sector aid in 1993 need not submit maps with their area aid applications and should not accordingly have any problems with maps — over 75 per cent of such livestock producers are used to declaring forage areas under the disadvantaged areas schemes and the requirement for them to declare the areas of their plots and blocks of land on the area aid applications this year should not, therefore, cause them any problems either.
Livestock producers who are applying for arable sector aid in 1993 have to supply maps, of course, but I have arranged for an extension of the time within which they must submit those maps from 15 May to 31 May 1993.
As for the simplified area aid application form, it will be posted out towards the end of this week and throughout next week to all cattle producers. It will require each farmer to state only the numbers of any plots or blocks of land on his/her holding, the townland, district electoral division and county in which each plot or block is located, the total area of any commonage in which he/she owns a share, the share of that commonage which he/she owns and the area in acres of each plot or block of land on the holding actually used for forage area together with a total of that acreage and that total converted into hectares. References that were in the original area aid application form to Ordnance Survey Sheet numbers of maps, to areas actually sown or set aside etc, to dates sowing ended, to whether each plot or block was farmed in 1991 and 1992, to crops sown in 1992 and to any years between 1987 and 1991 when each plot or block was tilled have all been dropped from the simplified form.
Livestock farmers who have submitted the original area aid applications need not withdraw them, of course, when they receive the simplified forms. As for the question of the slowing down of submission of applications because of the issue of the simplified forms I would make two points viz.
1. Livestock farmers will have until 1 July 1993 to submit these Applications.
2. My Department is sending Teagasc 25,000 simplified forms tomorrow so that any farmers who come to them for assistance in filling up the simplified forms can be helped to do so pending receipt in the post by the livestock farmers of their simplified area aid applications.
Given these arrangements, I do not believe the issue of the simplified forms will hinder any livestock farmers in submitting their applications but believe instead that it will help all such farmers to complete those applications accurately within the EC deadline.
