Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 March 2015
82. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding a penalty for overgrazed land in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10685/15]
View answerThe person named commenced REPS 4 in June 2009 and received payments for the first five years of their contract.
REPS 4 is a measure under the 2007-2013 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 an on-farm inspection in August 2014 , issues were identified in relation to the overgrazing of commonage lands, amongst other things, which formed part of the REPS plan of the person named, resulting in the application of a 100% penalty for non-compliance with the requirements of the Commonage Framework Plan. The person named has the right to seek a review of this decision to the Regional Inspector and/or to Agricultural Appeals Office.
