Written Answers Nos. 140 to 146.
140. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when 2013 payment under the disadvantaged areas based payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Galway; the reason for the delay in issuing this payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51178/13]
View answerAs processing of the application of the person named under the 2013 Disadvantaged Area Scheme is now completed, payment under this Scheme is due to issue shortly, directly to the nominated bank account of the person named.
141. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of licensed operators available for the on-farm slaughter of casualty animals; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that delays in attending to these animals mean that they cannot enter the food chain which causes unnecessary financial loss to the farmer; if he will consider increasing the number of licensed operators to cope with any surge in demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51184/13]
View answerEmergency slaughter of an otherwise healthy animal usually happens when the animal has suffered an injury that prevented its transport to the slaughterhouse for welfare reasons. In cases where the animal must be slaughtered on-farm, it must be carried out humanely in accordance with the European Communities (Welfare of Farmed Animals) Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 14 of 2008) either by a registered veterinary practitioner or by a slaughterman licensed by the Local Authority under the Slaughter of Animals Act 1935. In July 2009 the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council published “Guidelines for Veterinary Practitioners and Farmers on managing acutely injured livestock on Farm”, aimed at assisting veterinary practitioners and farmers in arriving at an informed decision on the method of dealing with such animals, having regard to both animal welfare and public health.
Procedures for dealing with such animals in slaughter plants are set out in the protocols of my Department’s Veterinary Public Health Inspection Service and the Local Authority Veterinary Service. There is no obligation on any slaughter plant to accept such animals. Where an animal of this type is accepted, it is subject to the intake checks at the slaughter plant, as well as any additional examinations deemed necessary by the official veterinarian. My Department is of the view that the number of service providers in this area is adequate as in addition to licensed units operating within the commercial sector, there are currently in excess of 2,400 registered veterinary practitioners in the State.
142. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding payments in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51185/13]
View answerPayment under the 2013 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme has not yet issued to the person named as their holding has not yet satisfied the Scheme minimum stocking density requirements. As soon as their holding is confirmed as having met these requirements, the case will be further processed with a view to payment issuing at the earliest possible date thereafter. An official of my Department has been in direct contact with the person named regarding this issue.
143. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a decision has been made on an application for a forest road grant in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51193/13]
View answerThe application by the person named has only recently been received in the Department and it is currently being processed. The application must be referred for public consultation through the local press and may also include referral to a number of consultation bodies. A decision on the application will issue as soon as this process is completed and the application has been examined in full.
144. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to introduce a scrappage scheme for horses which are registered and have a passport; if he will consider €150 per horse as appropriate payment for the work that has been done to date by his Department in developing such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51197/13]
View answerMy Department is keeping the horse welfare situation under review and, in particular, the need for additional welfare measures. There is no evidence of a significant problem in relation to the welfare of horses due to the relatively high level of horse slaughtering for the human food chain this year and the very good weather during the Summer and well into the Autumn, which has created a very favourable fodder situation. In addition, the continuing work being undertaken by local authorities in conjunction with the Department via the Control of Horses Act 1996 has reduced the numbers of abandoned horses throughout the country particularly in urban areas.
My Department also continues to stress that it is the responsibility of horse owners to ensure the welfare of horses in their ownership and/or their care and to dispose of them. In this context, horse owners are reminded of the advice of the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council that, where an owner can no longer adequately provide for their horse or where the horse can no longer fulfil the purpose for which it was bred, he or she should be proactive in seeking to dispose of the animal, including consideration of the option of humane disposal. The Department is, of course, continuing to deal with any animal welfare issues relating to horses through its existing mechanisms and has indicated that it is in position to provide emergency funding to assist horse owners who cannot afford to pay for their humane disposal. Farmers who are facing a critical horse welfare issue over coming months can contact the Department helpline for assistance.
145. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a 2013 agri-environment options scheme payment will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51205/13]
View answerThe person named was approved for participation in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from 1 November 2010 and full payments have issued in respect of the 2010, 2011 and 2012 Scheme years. Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. The Department is currently processing the application of the person named and I expect that payment in respect of 2013 will issue shortly.
146. Deputy Heather Humphreys asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of land eligibility inspections carried out for single farm payments in the years 2010, 2011, 2012, and to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51220/13]
View answerMy Department, in the context of delivering the Single Payment Scheme, Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and other area related schemes, is required to carry out an annual round of inspections covering both the eligibility of the land declared to draw down payments and also cross compliance aspects, to ensure adherence with EU regulatory requirements in the areas of public, animal and plant health, environment and animal welfare and ensuring that the farm is maintained in good agricultural and environmental condition. The basis for these inspections is governed by EU legislation and there are certain minimum number and types of inspections that must be conducted each year.
Land eligibility inspections must be carried out on at least 5% of applicants. These checks are carried out to verify that the actual area claimed in the application form corresponds to the area farmed by the farmer and to ensure that any ineligible land or features are not included for aid purposes. My Department has made every effort to respond to concerns about the impact of on-the-ground inspections on farmers and arising from this around 75% of these inspections are carried out in the first instance without the need for a farm visit, as the information needed is acquired using the technique of remote sensing via satellite. The following table details the number of holdings subject to land eligibility inspections in the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 (to-date).
|
Year |
No. of Holdings subject to Land Eligibility Inspections |
|
2010 |
7,759 |
|
2011 |
8,022 |
|
2012 |
7,602 |
|
2013 (to-date) |
7,874 |
Processing of 2013 inspections to finalisation is ongoing, with the intention of issuing any payments due as soon as possible.
