Vol. 560 No. 1
251 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Sligo has not received area aid extensification payment for 2001; if there will be any difficulties with the payment for 2002; if, when the payment is released, a Department official will make contact with this person to ensure payment is issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1797/03]
The person named participated in 2001 extensification premium opting for the simplified system. He undertook to maintain a stocking density of less than 1.60 livestock units per hectare for each and every day of 2001.
Under EU regulations, prior to payment, the Department is required to carry out CMMS based stocking density cross-checks to ensure that chosen stocking density payment limits are not breached. In this case cross-checks were carried out at 1 June and 15 October 2001. Respective stocking densities of 1.0226 and 1.6060 livestock units per hectare were found at the dates in question and accordingly the person named was found ineligible for 2001 extensification premium. In order that the person named could check the accuracy of the findings at 15 October 2001, a CMMS based herd profile showing the eartag number and date of birth of each bovine animal over the age of six months present on the holding on 15 October 2001 issued to him on 18 December 2002. He did not revert to the Department to confirm any discrepancies that appeared on the profile which when corrected might bring the stocking density of the holding to less than 1.60 livestock units per hectare on the date in question. An official from my Department was in touch with the person named in recent days in the matter. The person named has stated that some discrepancies appear on the profile and that he has now passed it to his farm adviser with a view to having the discrepancies notified to the Department for updating in early course.
On receipt of the updated information in the Department, the matter will be attended to without delay and if it can be established that the stocking density of the holding was less than 1.60 livestock units per hectare on 15 October 2001, the person named should qualify for payment of 2001 extensification premium at the rate of €66 per eligible animal.
Payment of 2002 extensification premium is not scheduled to commence until June 2003. Prior to payment CMMS based stocking density cross-checks will be carried out and eligibility on stocking density grounds cannot be established until then.
