Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 March 2013
151. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers that were written to in relation to their 2012 disadvantaged payments under the stocking density rule; the number that have been refused a derogation, including after appeal, broken down between the three payment categories of less favoured areas, severely disadvantaged and mountain areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14664/13]
View answerIn total, my Department wrote to in excess of 10,000 beneficiaries under the 2011 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme whose holdings had not achieved the minimum stocking density of 0.3 livestock units per forage hectare, as required under the Terms and Conditions of the 2012 Scheme.
In response, my Department received 9,635 applications from farmers seeking derogation from this requirement. These applications have been fully processed and 7,086 applications were successful.
Those, whose applications were rejected, were informed of their entitlement to appeal their cases to the independently chaired DAS Appeals Committee. Appeals were received from 1,485 applicants, of which my Department was in a position to overturn the original decision on 548 cases, without the need to refer to the DAS Appeals Committee, on the basis of additional information which had not previously been submitted. Of the 937 appeals submitted to date to the Committee, decisions have been taken in respect of 836 cases, of which 276 were allowed, 462 disallowed and 98 requested to submit additional information. Processing remains ongoing.
Bearing in mind that a high proportion of those involved will have land in more than one of the categories referred to, it is not possible to provide the further breakdown requested.
