Vol. 550 No. 4
200 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason for the NR net high level of penalties being imposed on applicants and participants in the REP scheme in Connemara compared to other areas of County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8358/02]
In the operation of the REP scheme, Connemara is part of a larger area and it is not possible to give penalty statistics for Connemara itself. Penalties are imposed only for breaches of undertakings agreed by a participant in his or her agri-environmental plan or for failure to comply with the conditions of the scheme and are imposed in a small minority of cases. There are local and national appeals procedures to which all farmers have access.
