asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Wexford is now being deemed to be ineligible for a farm improvement grant, his views on the fairness of advising such an applicant of ineligibility in relation to exceeding the milk quota at such a late stage in the milk quota year; and if he will as a matter of urgency consider approving a grant in this case in view of the fact that he has committed expenditure on the understanding of a grant being available.
Written Answers. - Grant Payment Eligibility.
63.
The person concerned received approvals on 28 January 1987 for on-farm development under the farm improvement programme. Grant-aid under the programme is payable only where an applicant's permanent milk quota is respected. Payment of grants to the person concerned can be considered, therefore, only on receipt of evidence that his milk production for the year ended 31 March 1987 was within the permanent milk quota allocated to him.
In drawing up farm plans on which grant applications are based ACOT ensure that each participant in the farm improvement programme is made fully aware of the necessity not to exceed the allocated permanent milk quota. The plan for the applicant in question was drawn up in July 1986.