Ned O'Keeffe
Ceist:341 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when an extensification payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [22203/01]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
Under the EU regulations governing extensification premium, payment may only issue where the stocking density of the holding is up to and including two livestock units per hectare. The stocking density of the holding of the person named for the purposes of 2000 extensification premium was 2.24 livestock units per hectare.
Ned O'Keeffe
Ceist:342 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will issue a suckler cow premium payment to a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [22204/01]
The terms and conditions of the scheme require that where an animal, which is the subject of an application, dies during the retention period the applicant must notify my Department within ten working days of the death. Where the applicant intends to replace the animal, replacement must take place within 20 days of the loss and my Department must be notified of replacement details in writing within ten working days of the date of replacement.
The person named applied on ten cows under the 2001 suckler cow premium scheme on 18 January 2001. Following an examination of his application it was found that one of the animals applied on had died in March 2001 and no notification of the death nor details of a replacement animal had been forwarded by him to my Department. My Department's district livestock office contacted him on 18 September 2001 inquiring about this animal and he telephoned back the next day and advised that as he had notified the death of the animal to the cattle movement and monitoring system he had considered this sufficient notification.
A letter from a farm advisory service dated 19 September also confirmed that the person named had four potential replacement animals in his herd at the time of the death of the cow. My Department wrote to the person named on 2 October 2001 advising him that as he had failed to provide proper notification of the death of the animal or details of its replacement in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme the animal was rejected from his application and that a reduction penalty would apply to the payment on his remaining eligible animals. He has been given the opportunity to have this decision reviewed by writing to my Department setting out any facts which may support his case.
Donal Carey
Ceist:343 Mr. D. Carey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a payment under the control of farmyard pollution scheme; and the reason for the delay. [22205/01]
The national scheme for the control of farm pollution, now replaced by the new farm waste management scheme, was extremely successful and uptake exceeded all expectations. The EU-imposed ceiling for expenditure under this scheme has been reached and my Department has applied to the European Commission to formally raise the ceiling. A number of payments under the scheme, including payment to the person mentioned in the question, has been delayed pending receipt of this formal approval. Following recent discussions between my Department and the European Commission a positive response is expected very shortly. All payments will issue immediately approval is received.
Austin Deasy
Ceist:344 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason for the delay in payment of a control of farmyard pollution grant to a person (details supplied) in County Waterford; and when payment will issue. [22241/01]
The national scheme for the control of farm pollution, now replaced by the new farm waste management scheme, was extremely successful and uptake exceeded all expectations. The EU-imposed ceiling for expenditure under this scheme has been reached and my Department has applied to the European Commission to formally raise the ceiling. A number of payments under the scheme, including payment to the person mentioned in the question, has been delayed pending receipt of this formal approval. Following recent discussions between my Department and the European Commission a positive response is expected very shortly. All payments will issue immediately approval is received.
Liam Aylward
Ceist:345 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he will review a decision to refuse payment of suckler cow premium to a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of farmers throughout the country are also affected by this change. [22242/01]
EU regulations pro vide that applications under the EU suckler cow premium scheme shall be submitted within an overall period of six months during a calendar year.
The last year in which there were two application periods during a calendar year was in respect of the 1999 EU suckler cow premium scheme. Under the 2000 EU suckler cow premium scheme the application period was from 3 April 2000 to 31 May 2000 with a late application concession to depopulated and restricted herds up to and including 3 October 2000. Under the 2001 EU suckler cow premium scheme farmers were allowed to submit their application at a time of their choosing between 2 January and 29 June 2001. This change of application period was well signalled at the time.
My Department's records show that in the years prior to 2001 the person named submitted his applications under the EU suckler cow premium schemes at the end of May or early June of the year of application.
As the person named was a previous applicant under the EU suckler cow premium schemes he should have received a personalised 2001 suckler cow premium application form in the post at the end of December 2000. Clause 25 of the terms and conditions of the scheme provides that the responsibility for ensuring that the application is lodged rests entirely with the applicant.