Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 March 2015
355. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason penalties have been imposed, under the single payment scheme, on a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and the reason the remainder of the entitlements were not paid. [11572/15]
View answerEU Regulations governing the administration of the Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases on-farm inspections, be completed before any payments issue. The holding of the person named was selected for a ground eligibility inspection under the 2012 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas scheme.
This eligibility inspection identified discrepancies between the areas declared and the area found resulting in an over-declaration in area of greater than 50% in respect of the Single Payment Scheme and an over-declaration of greater than 20% but less than 50% under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. Based on the terms and conditions of the schemes this resulted in no payments under these schemes in respect of 2012 and the application, under the Single Payment Scheme, of an administrative fine to be offset against any future EU payments. The person named was notified of this decision on 23 October 2012.
The person named sought a review of this decision and the outcome, which was to uphold the original decision, was notified by letter of 25 July 2013. The person named was also notified of the right to appeal this decision to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office. My Department understands that no appeal has been submitted to that office to date.
