Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 November 2004
158 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will examine the entitlement of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo to the ewe premium for 2004; and if she received all the information from the application to state that this person had the necessary animals on application. [29644/04]
View answerAs stated in my reply of 10 November the person named qualified for payment of €2,100 under the 2004 ewe premium. However under the 2003 scheme he had a shortfall of 40 ewes out of the 115 on which he applied which resulted in non payment of premium. Under the conditions of the scheme the amount that would have been payable on these 40 ewes, €1,170.40, was offset against his 2004 premium of €2,100 leaving a balance of €929.60 which is being processed for payment.
Regarding his position under the 2003 scheme, my Department's records show that notification issued to him indicating that an inspection of his flock would be carried out on 1 April 2003. When the inspector called the person named was not present. Another inspection was arranged for the 7 April for which he received notification on 3 April. He rang the local office of my Department on 3 April stating that he had sold some of the sheep between 1 and 3 April. The inspection went ahead as planned on 7 April and again the person named was not present. Only 75 of the 115 ewes applied on were found during the course of the inspection. He was subsequently requested to submit to his local office documentation such as sales documentation, dispatch dockets or sheep register, relating to the sale of the 40 ewes but there is no record of such documentation being received. He was notified of his contravention of the terms and conditions of the scheme in September 2003 and advised that he could have the decision reviewed by submitting an appeal to the district inspector for the area. There is no record of an appeal ever having been submitted.
