Michael Ring
Question:305 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive all his headage and premia payments for 1999 and 2000. [23980/00]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
The person named applied on 35 cows under the 1999 cattle headage scheme and under the 1999 suckler cow premium scheme. These animals were passed at an inspection of his herd on 5 August 1999. However, 32 calves born in 1999 were found to have been brass tagged instead of being tagged with the yellow alpha numeric tags nor were these calves registered under my Department's animal birth registration database in 1999. While at an inspection carried out on 13 January 2000 all of the calves were tagged with the correct tags the person named was informed on 24 January 2000 that as 32 animals which were not the subject of an application for grants were non compliant under EU Regulation 820/97 and as this level of non-compliance exceeded 20%, no payment could issue to him under these schemes. The person named appealed this decision to the independent headage and premia appeals unit where, while the case was fully re-examined, the decision was upheld.
As stated in my reply to Question No. 426 of 3 October 2000, one of the parcels claimed by the person named in his 2000 area aid application overlaps with a parcel of land claimed by another applicant. The person named was contacted in this regard and in his reply clarified the position by including a map showing what the correct position is. This information is now being entered on to the Department's electronic database and payments due under the 2000 cattle headage scheme, 2000 sheep headage scheme and 2000 suckler cow premium scheme will issue to him within the next seven days.