Vol. 482 No. 6
182 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when the £50 BSE top-up payment for slaughtered heifers will issue to farmers across the country and, particularly, to a person (details supplied) in County Wexford. [18665/97]
The person named submitted an application to the Enniscorthy livestock office on 7 November 1997. The closing date for receipt of application forms under the 1997 agrimonetary compensation scheme was Friday, 7 November 1997. Processing of applications has already commenced. It is expected that payments will start in mid-December. All eligible applicants must be paid by 31 December 1997. The rate of payment for eligible finished heifers will be approximately £41 per animal.
If the application of the person named is found to be in order, payment will issue before the end of the year.
183 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be paid his 1997 cattle and sheep headage in view of the fact that the delay is causing financial hardship. [18666/97]
The area aid application of the person named has not yet been cleared so as to allow payment of headage to him. Every effort is being made to clear all area aid applications, other than a small minority of very intractable cases, so that payment can be made in this and other similar cases during the next few weeks.
If the area aid application of the person named is found to be in order he should be paid cattle and sheep headage within this period.
184 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be paid his 1997 cattle headage in view of the fact that the delay is causing financial hardship. [18667/97]
The area aid application of the person named has not yet been cleared so as to allow payment of headage to him. Every effort is being made to clear all area aid applications, other than a small minority of very intractable cases, so that payment can be made in this and other similar cases during the next few weeks.
If the area aid application of the person named is found to be in order he should be paid cattle headage within this period.
185 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when an appeal for 1997 ewe premium and sheep headage for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be decided. [18669/97]
The appeal is currently under consideration in the headage and premia appeals unit. It is expected that the matter will be finalised within the next three weeks. The herdowner will be notified of the outcome.
186 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be paid his 1997 sheep and cattle headage in view of the fact that the delay is blamed on an area aid problem even though there has been no change in his area aid. [18670/97]
The fact that there is no change in an area aid application does not mean that clearing it so as to allow payment of headage and premia is automatic. In the case of the person named, for example, none of the three parcels he quoted on his area aid application was digitised.
Given that 1997 is the first year in which the land parcel identification system required by the EU has to be fully operational, this must be done before his 1997 sheep and cattle headage can be paid to him.
I am arranging to prioritise such cases so that digitisation can be completed within the next few weeks and 1997 sheep and cattle headage paid to the person named within that period.
187 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be paid his 1997 sheep and cattle headage. [18671/97]
The area aid application of the person named has not yet been cleared so as to allow payment of headage to him. Every effort is being made to clear all area aid applications, other than a small minority of very intractable cases, so that payment can be made in this and other similar cases during the next few weeks.
If the area aid application of the person named is found to be in order he should be paid cattle and sheep headage within this period.
