Ned O'Keeffe
Question:105 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will re-investigate a payment under the extensification scheme which was made at the second rate to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [22978/02]
Vol. 557 No. 5
105 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will re-investigate a payment under the extensification scheme which was made at the second rate to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [22978/02]
The person named participated in the 2001 extensification premium scheme opting for the census system. Under EU regulations, the Department is required to carry out a percentage of on-farm checks in order to ensure that the stocking density payment limits are not breached. On-farm checks are carried out from records held in bovine herd registers which farmers are obliged to maintain. The number of bovine livestock units to be taken into account in any case is ascertained from the number of animals over six months present in the herd on the census date. On the basis of the findings at all five census dates for 2001, my Department considered that the person named was entitled to extensification premium at the lower rate and payment issued at this rate.