Michael Healy-Rae
Question:864. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11649/22]
View answerTuesday, 1 March 2022
Questions (864)
Written answers
The objective of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) was to provide temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland. The granting of the aid was subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132.
Just over 33,000 participants, including the person named, joined the scheme and, in doing so, gave a commitment to reduce the production of bovine livestock manure nitrogen on the holding by 5% for the period 1st July 2020 to 30th June 2021 as compared with the reference period of 1st July 2018 to 30th June 2019 as recorded on the Department's AIM system.
In light of the difficulties some farmers were experiencing in meeting this reduction arising from COVID-19 Government Public Health restrictions, I sough a new reference period through negotiations with the European Commission. I introduced an alternative reduction period for those who required it. In that context, from 19th March 2021, BEAM participants were able to select the alternative reduction period of 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2021 over which to meet their 5% reduction. This facility remained open until 21st June 2021 and some 16,000 BEAM participants opted for the deferred reduction period.
The person named did not apply to be included in the later reduction period and therefore his reduction period remained as 1st July 2020 - 30th June 2021. Following the end of that reduction period, my Department undertook a series of administrative and compliance checks to ensure that the commitments farmers had entered into under the BEAM Terms and Conditions had been met.
In the case of the person named, the commitment to reduce the bovine livestock manure nitrogen by 5% was not met and, as a result, all of the BEAM payment made to him in 2019 was recouped.
The person named contacted the Department to request a review of the decision. As part of the review, the nitrates figures for the applicant were checked through my Department's Animal Identification Movement system (AIM) for the full year of the deferred reduction period (1 January 2021 - 31 December 2021) and it was determined that, even if the applicant had applied for the alternative reduction period, the 5% bovine nitrates reduction would still not have been met.
A letter issued on 1st February 2022 informing the applicant of the outcome of the review and of his right to appeal the decision to the Agriculture Appeals Office.