Michael Ring
Question:69 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if an appeals process will be put in place for those who did not have stock in the year in question, in relation to decoupling. [9527/04]
View answerThursday, 25 March 2004
Questions (69)
Written answers
Council Regulation, (EC) No. 1782/2003 introducing the single payment scheme, provides that a farmer whose production was adversely affected during the reference period by a case of force majeure or exceptional circumstances occurring before the reference period are entitled to request that the reference amount be calculated on the basis of the calendar year or years in the reference period not affected by the case of force majeure or exceptional circumstances. Applications to avail of this provision have been submitted by more than 14,000 farmers earlier this year. The applications are currently being processed by my Department.
Farmers not satisfied with the decision in their case have the right to appeal. In this regard, I recently established a single payment appeals committee, chaired by Mr. John Duggan, and comprising appeals officers from the agriculture appeals office. In due course, this committee will also deal with the appeals of individual farmers in respect of other aspects of the implementation of the single payment scheme including the provisional single payment entitlements and individual decisions in relation to the allocation of entitlements from the national reserve. I am confident that this appeals committee will deal with appeals from farmers in an independent, fair and comprehensive manner.