Dinny McGinley
Question:71 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a suckler cow payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [23545/01]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
The person named applied on three cows and one heifer under the 2001 suckler cow premium scheme on 16 January 2001. My Department wrote to him on 25 September 2001 requesting the dates of last calving for two of the cows he had applied on. A reply was received from him on 2 October 2001 confirming that one of the animals had calved for the first time on 17 April 2001 and the other animal had not calved. This means that these animals were heifers at the date of application. Clause 26 of the terms and conditions of the 2001 suckler cow premium scheme provides that the number of heifers being maintained for the purposes of the scheme cannot exceed 20% of the total number of animals for which premium was requested.
In this case, as the person named has a suckler cow quota of three rights, the maximum number of heifers he may apply on is one. Clause 34 provides that an applicant who is found to have made a false declaration through serious negligence will lose all 2001 suckler cow premium and an applicant who is found to have made a false declaration intentionally will lose all 2001 and 2002 suckler cow premium. My Department wrote to him again on 3 October 2001 requesting that he explain the reason for listing these animals on his application and he was asked to confirm if he had another cow in his herd at the date of application and on which he did not apply. If he had, he was asked to provide details of its tag number and to submit its passport. He was also advised that his application may be subject to penalty.
The person named replied on 9 October 2001 and while he stated that he had two cows and two heifers in his herd at the date of application, he did not provide the passport or the tag number of the second cow nor did he provide any explanation for listing two heifers as cows on his application. My Department will now write to him again on this matter.
Dinny McGinley
Question:72 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when payment of sheep headage will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Donegal. [23546/01]
A condition of the area-based compensatory allowance scheme is that applicants must meet a minimum stocking level of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare in the year preceding the year of application. However, farmers who are unable to meet that minimum stocking density but who traditionally qualified for headage grants in respect of cattle and/or sheep may continue to qualify for payment, provided their land is being utilised and is not in danger of undergrazing. As the person concerned was a traditional headage applicant his application is being processed for payment and it is expected that payment will issue before the end of October 2001.
Michael Ring
Question:73 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if farmers who have never had sheep and who have lost out on the new area-based payments will be compensated accordingly. [23564/01]
In 1997, a review of mountain-type grazing lands for sheep headage purposes in the more severely handicapped areas and the less severely handicapped areas was carried out by my Department. All land classified as mountain-type grazing was subsequently identified as such on the land parcel identification system. This designation as mountain type grazing suited most farmers, especially those engaged in sheep production, allowing them to be paid headage grants on mountain type ewes. However, in designating the areas concerned on the land parcel identification system regard had to be had to certain natural boundaries such as rivers and roads and it was not possible to exclude certain farms where sheep production did not take place. The new area-based compensatory allowance scheme agreed in July 2000 and approved by the European Commission in the context of the CAP rural development plan provides for area related payments as follows: more severely handicapped – lowland – £70 per hectare up to 45 hectares; less severely handicapped – lowland – £60 per hectare up to 45 hectares; and mountain-type land – £45 per hectare up to 60 hectares.
One of the conditions of the new scheme is that applicants meet a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per hectare. Farmers who traditionally qualified for headage grants in respect of sheep and/or cattle but who are unable to meet the minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per hectare, because they have large tracts of land and are very extensive farmers, may continue to qualify for payment. Some 10% of these cases will be subject to an on-farm inspection with a view to ensuring that the land in question is utilised and that there is no danger of undergrazing. An on-farm inspection will be carried out in all other cases, that is, where farmers do not have cattle or sheep, but have goats, deer and horses. In these cases a minimum stocking density of one ewe equivalent per hectare will be required. The scheme is currently under review with a view to finding the most equitable arrangements with particular reference to farmers with mountain type land.
Michael Ring
Question:74 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive an area based payment; if there is a problem with this person's application; and if so, when it will be resolved. [23565/01]
A condition of the area-based compensatory allowance scheme is that applicants must meet a minimum stocking level of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare in the year preceding application. However, farmers who are unable to meet that minimum stocking density but who traditionally qualified for headage grants in respect of cattle and/or sheep may continue to qualify for payment, provided their land is being utilised and is not in danger of undergrazing.
In this context a certain percentage of these applications must be subjected to an on-farm inspection. As the person concerned was a headage recipient in 2000 and as the stocking density of the holding was 0.12 livestock units per forage hectare in 2000, she is among a number of applications which have been selected for an on-farm inspection. If her holding meets the requirements, payment will issue as soon as possible following the on-farm inspection.
Michael Ring
Question:75 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a sheep premium payment for 2001. [23566/01]
Following an examination of the 2000 area aid application lodged by the person named he was deemed to have incurred a 100% penalty due to an over-declaration and the payment which issued under the 2000 ewe premium scheme was recorded as an overpayment. Consequently, the first instalment of the 2001 ewe premium was offset against this overpayment. However, on further examination of his 2000 area aid position, the penalty was lifted and, as a result, he is now due a refund of the first instalment of the 2001 ewe premium which will issue shortly. Payment of the second instalment will be made to the person named within a week of the regulation authorising payment being published by the European Commission. It is expected that the regulation will be published in the near future.