Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Nov 1993

Vol. 436 No. 1

Written Answers. - Grant Payments.

Seán Doherty

Question:

150 Mr. Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if, regarding the inspection of the herd of a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon in connection with the 1992 suckler cow and headage payments schemes, he will give the total number of animals presented for inspection as shown on the inspection report form and the total number of tag numbers recorded on same; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Seán Doherty

Question:

151 Mr. Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon was requested to sign the inspection report form on the day his herd was inspected in connection with the 1992 suckler cow and headage payments schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Seán Doherty

Question:

152 Mr. Doherty asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if the tag numbers of all the animals presented for inspection were recorded correctly on the inspection report form during the inspection of a herd belonging to a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon in connection with the 1992 suckler cow and headage payments schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. J. Walsh)

I propose taking Questions Nos. 150, 151 and 152 together.

The person named applied on 42 animals under the 1992 cattle headage scheme and on 20 animals under the 1992 suckler cow premium scheme. The tag numbers of 42 animals were recorded on the standard form at the field inspection of 6 October 1992. These included the 20 animals presented by the applicant at that inspection as being suckler cows or replacement in-calf heifers.

The tag numbers of all the 42 animals mentioned were read from the eartags on the animals' ears but could not be cross-checked during the on-farm inspection against the relevant cattle identity cards as the applicant did not make them available to the inspecting officers that day. Because the metal eartags can be worn or bent after being on the ears of cattle for some time understandable mistakes can be made in reading them. This is why they are cross-checked against cattle identity cards. The cross-check was carried out 10 days later in this case after the cattle identity cards had been requested from the applicant, when some minor errors in the tag numbers recorded on the day of inspection were corrected.

Normally applicants are required to sign the inspection report form on the day of inspection. In this particular case the applicant was not required to sign the inspection report form. When this came to notice in December of 1992 he was asked to sign the report form but refused to do so.