Thank you for the opportunity to raise this matter. I wish to draw attention to a problem costing many individual farmers up to £2,000 as a result of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry not making the rules governing the January-February 1993 special beef premium scheme clear and easily understood.
Because of time restrictions, I can only briefly outline what happened to two small County Galway farmers who are deemed ineligible for the special beef premium scheme because they did not have the identity cards stamped at the local district veterinary office. A farmer in the Colemanstown area of Ballinasloe applied for payment under the special beef premium scheme in January-February 1993 in respect of 11 twenty-two months old bullocks. This farmer genuinely believed he did not have to get the cards stamped at the district veterinary office. He said he was given information early in 1993 to the effect that if the Department required the cards to be stamped, they would ask the farmer to forward his cards to the office. I have reason to believe that some of the district veterinary offices throughout the country also believed that a circular would be sent to the farmers but this did not happen. This farmer applied for and received the ten month bullock premium without the cards being stamped. Is it any wonder he was confused? He understood that if he presented a mart or factory sales sheet, which included the tag numbers, he would be eligible under the scheme but he has been refused payment.
Another farmer outside Ballinasloe applied for the premia for 22 bullocks in the same January-February 1993 period. He, like his fellow countryman, believed that if the Department required the cards for stamping it would write for them. This farmer stands to lose 22 premia at £52 each, which is £1,144, together with the extensification grant of £28 per head, which adds up to another £616. All in all he stands to lose £1,760. What crime would a person have to commit before a judge in a court of law would fine him £1,760? I could give an endless litany of such cases in east Galway alone. There must be thousands of such cases throughout the country. Taking into account the obvious confusion and the fact that this period coincided with the beginning of the new CAP regime, surely farmers cannot be victimised to this extent and the Minister could devise some system to solve this once-off problem.
There seems to be a jinx on the January-February 1993 application date. With regard to the age factor for the scheme, many farmers believed what they saw. According to the advice leaflet supplied by the Department if an animal was 21 months old on the date of the application it would be eligible for grant purposes. This did not work out in practice and several hundred farmers got caught out unfairly.
I understand that yesterday some changes were made in this area. I thank the Minister and I would appreciate it if he would spell out exactly what it means. I understand one month is disregarded, which would be beneficial. I am sure the Minister is fully aware of the frustration and anger felt by farmers who genuinely believe that the rules of the game were not made sufficiently clear. In the circumstances, surely this matter can be satisfactorily resolved between the Department and the European Commission. I am sure the Minister has hundreds of representations on this issue and something must be done. I will be extremely thankful for any help the Minister can give.