Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 January 2014
178. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding repayment of money in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3036/14]
View answerThe person named commenced REPS 4 in March 2008 and received payments for the full six years of their contract.
REPS 4 is a measure under the current 2007-13 Rural Development Programme and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before any payments can issue. Following the administrative check an issue was discovered in relation to an area discrepancy between the Single Farm Payment application for 2009 and the REPS agri-environmental Plan. As set out in the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme the participant agrees to carry out their farming activities for a five-year period in accordance with an approved agri-environment plan. The person named failed to notify my Department of the reduction in area of 21 hectares due to afforestation or to provide revised agri-environmental plan.
My Department has had no alternative but to recoup these monies from the 2013 REPS, Single Farm Payment, and Grassland Sheep schemes. While I am conscious of the financial situation of the person named the Rural Environment Protection Scheme is co-funded by the EU and my Department is obliged to recoup monies owed at the earliest opportunity.
