Vol. 481 No. 7
160 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason an advance paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick under the 1993 suckler cow scheme is being recovered by his Department; if his Department will reconsider the situation with a view to imposing a less onerous penalty for a minor error; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17193/97]
The person named made an application for 45 suckler cows on 30 June 1993 in respect of the 1993 suckler cow scheme. He was paid a 60 per cent advance, based on the number he held in 1992 which was also 45.
An inspection was carried out on 7 December 1993 and the person named presented 45 animals. However, four of the original 45 animals applied on were not presented for inspection at that time.
Under the 1993 terms and conditions, clauses 14 (a) (ii), to be eligible for suckler cow premium a producer must satisfy the Minister that he-she had in his-her ownership and possession on the date of application the suckler cows listed in Schedule 5 of his-her application and that he-she held the same number of suckler cows or replacements on his-her holding for a period of at least six months from the day after which his-her application was lodged with the Department.
The herdowner was requested to forward documentation in respect of the four animals on various occasions. To date, this documentation has not been received from the herdowner.
If the person named can provide the necessary documents, his case will then be re-examined.
