Vol. 500 No. 2
143 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will qualify for 1999 fodder aid under the new scheme announced recently, particularly as she has suckler cows in her herd. [3794/99]
A new fodder scheme has been agreed by the Government, the details of which are being finalised and will be announced shortly. However, the person named may not qualify for the new measure, as she was not an applicant under the 1998 suckler cow premium or ewe premium schemes and did not hold a milk quota at 1 April 1998.
144 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive 1998 cattle headage and a special beef premium in view of the fact he submitted maps some time ago to clear a misunderstanding on his commonage holding. [3795/99]
As stated in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 281 of 27 January 1999, a query arose in relation to commonage claimed by the person named in his 1998 area aid application. The area aid unit contacted the person named with a view to resolving the difficulties. The person named was unable to satisfy the area aid unit that the commonage area claimed was correct. It appears that the plot claimed as commonage is no longer classified as commonage and that the Land Commission divided this commonage into individual parts and assigned it to the herdowners who previously had shares of this commonage. The area aid unit is in contact with the Land Commission to resolve the difficulty and to ascertain the area of land that has been assigned to the person named.
146 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a special beef premium and cattle headage on the remaining six hectares of his land in view of the fact he applied on 12 hectares and has only received money for six to date. [3797/99]
The person named submitted an area aid application for 1998 with a declared forage area of 13.2 hectares. Maps issued to him to resolve an overlap problem on his application. His reply has been processed and the application has been finalised with an adjusted forage area of 11.79 hectares. The person named was paid his full entitlement of £600.72 under the 1998 cattle headage scheme on 4 February 1999 based on this area. He submitted two applications under the 1998 ten month special beef premium scheme, one on 14 January in respect of five animals and one on 18 March in respect of four animals. Payment of 80 per cent has issued for both applications.
He submitted three applications under the 1998 22 month special beef premium scheme. The first application in respect of 11 animals was lodged on 14 January 1998. Two of the animals were rejected because of age inconsistencies with earlier declarations for ten month premium and were, accordingly, deleted from the application with a consequent reduction penalty on the remaining nine eligible animals. An 80 per cent payment at a reduced rate has issued on the nine animals. The second application was in respect of four animals and was lodged on 18 March 1998. An 80 per cent payment has issued in respect of these four animals. The third application was in respect of two animals and was lodged on 26 May 1998. An 80 per cent payment issued in respect of one of these animals. A stocking density restriction prevented any payment issuing on the second animal. However, the area aid application of the person named was amended recently and, consequently, a manual payment for £72.13, representing 80 per cent of payment due has been prepared in respect of this animal.
