Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 8 May 2001

Vol. 535 No. 4

Written Answers - Grant Payments.

Michael Creed

Question:

146 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork has not received full payment on a recent beef premium application; the reason details of a land parcel in his area aid application were excluded since 1996; and if he can arrange to include this in his current application and therefore increase his beef premium payment. [12723/01]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (Mr. Walsh)

The person concerned submitted a 2000 area aid application on which he declared a total of 29.76 hectares forage and 2.46 hectares cereals. In 1999 he applied for 29.76 ha forage and 2.46 ha cereals. In 1998 he applied for 29.63 ha forage and 2.32 ha cereals and in 1997 he applied for 29.63 ha forage and 2.43 ha cereals.

The person concerned did not include land parcel No. D25315004 on his application since 1996. All applications have been fully processed for the area on which he applied.

In so far as including extra land in his application is concerned, guidelines for this are set out in the help sheet for 2001 area aid applications. It was a matter for the person named to include all his holdings on his 2001 application and lodge his application by the 27 April closing date.

Under EU regulations governing the special beef premium and suckler cow schemes, a stocking density limit of two livestock units per hectare applies based on the forage area declared on an applicant's area aid application.

Each producer's reckonable livestock units are obtained in respect of each calendar year as follows:

Male cattle up to and including 24 months old on which the producer applies for special beef premium and bull premium:	0.6 livestock unit.
Male cattle over 24 months old on which the producer applies for special beef premium:	1 livestock unit each.
Ewes on which the producer applies for ewe premium:	0.15 livestock unit each.
Suckler cows:	1 livestock unit each.
Notional dairy cows:	1 livestock unit each.

Notional dairy cows are obtained by dividing a producer's milk quota in respect of a given calendar year by the national average yield per cow for that year, or by the recorded average milk yield per cow where the producer is in an official milk recording scheme.

All of the special beef premium applications belonging to the person named from 1996 to 1999 have been paid in full.

After taking account of his milk quota of 43,116 gallons, his livestock unit entitlement for special beef premium for 2000 was 10.23 livestock units.

In 2000 the person concerned applied on 24 animals, with an LU value of 0.6 each, and was paid on his full entitlement of 10.23 livestock units. Full payment of £1,650.65 has issued.