Dan Neville
Question:69 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when an installation aid payment was made to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [3081/99]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
The processing of this application cannot be finalised until the applicant furnishes the additional documentation requested by my Department on 27 January 1999.
Dan Neville
Question:70 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when payment of installation aid will be made to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [3082/99]
The processing of this application cannot be finalised until the applicant furnishes the additional documentation requested by my Department on 27 January 1999.
Dan Neville
Question:71 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a suckler cow premium will be paid to a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [3083/99]
The person named applied for 17 suckler cows on 20 October under the 1998 suckler cow premium scheme.
Under EU regulations payments cannot issue under the October application until after the retention period and all relevant checks have been carried out on the application.
As there is a six months retention period under the suckler cow premium scheme, payments will not commence under the October scheme until May.
P. J. Sheehan
Question:72 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will have his application for aid under the fodder scheme approved and a payment made in this regard. [3084/99]
In order to qualify under the 1998 winter fodder scheme a producer had to have: (a) mountain grazing and an application submitted under the 1998 sheep headage scheme, or (b) a herd number in one of the designated DEDs and an application lodged under the 1998 suckler cow premium scheme and hold a suckler cow quota, or have a permanent milk quota of 35,000 gallons or less on 1 April 1998 and be active in milk production in the 1998-99 season.
The person named has a herd number in a designated DED, but did not lodge an application under the 1998 suckler cow premium or sheep headage schemes and is not active in milk production. He did not therefore qualify for aid under the 1998 winter fodder package.
P. J. Sheehan
Question:73 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will have his application for aid under the fodder scheme approved and payment made in this regard. [3085/99]
In order to qualify under the 1998 winter fodder scheme a producer must be resident and have a herd number in one of the designated DEDs. The DEDs were designated on the basis of an examination by Teagasc of areas most effected by the bad weather. As the person named did not reside in one of the designated DEDs he was not entitled to payment under the 1998 winter fodder package.
Willie Penrose
Question:74 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason no payments have been made under the 1998 REP scheme to a person (details supplied) in County Offaly; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the lack of this payment is causing great financial hardship for the person concerned; if this matter will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3087/99]
The person concerned lodged an application for a third year payment under the REP scheme on 10 August 1998. The application was chosen at random for a pre-payment inspection. In the course of the inspection a major discrepancy between area aid claims for 1997 and 1998 and the area being declared for REPS was discovered.
An explanation was submitted by the applicant in November 1998 which was not satisfactory and further details have been sought. No payment can issue until these matters have been satisfactorily resolved.
Michael Ring
Question:75 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive 1998 cattle headage and a suckler cow premium. [3088/99]
No applications under the 1998 cattle headage scheme and the 1998 suckler cow scheme have been received from the person named.
Enda Kenny
Question:76 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a decision was taken not to pay fodder grant aid to a person (details supplied) in County Mayo. [3123/99]
The adverse weather conditions during 1998 necessitated urgent action and this, of necessity, influenced the shape of the fodder scheme which the Government put in place late last year. In order to ensure immediate distribution of aid it was necessary to introduce a scheme to compensate the most needy farmers at the earliest date, based on information available to the Department, rather than requiring individual application lodgement and processing. Regrettably the person named could not be aided under the 1998 scheme by reference to the criteria laid down, given the urgency to distribute the aid.
As the Deputy is aware, a new fodder scheme has now been agreed by the Government and I would hope that the person named can meet the criteria for the new measure.
Breeda Moynihan-Cronin
Question:77 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Kerry was paid a reduced rate of fodder aid. [3124/99]
In order to qualify under the 1998 winter fodder scheme a producer had to have: (a) mountain grazing and have an application submitted under the 1998 sheep headage scheme, or (b) a herd number in one of the designated DEDs and have lodged an application under the 1998 suckler cow premium scheme and hold a suckler cow quota, or have a permanent milk quota of 35,000 gallons or less on 1 April 1998 and be active in milk production in the 1998-99 season.
The person named was paid his full entitlement of £160 on 17 December 1998 under the winter fodder scheme 1998. This payment was calculated in accordance with the winter fodder scheme criteria on the basis of £40 each in respect of the four suckler cows paid under the 1998 suckler cow premium scheme. The person named did not have a milk quota on 1 April 1998 and did not submit an application for sheep headage in 1998.