Bernard Allen
Ceist:73 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of farms grant aided for waste management; the total land area involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20671/02]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
Up to the end of September 2002, 4,808 applications had been received by my Department under the farm waste management scheme which was established pursuant to the National Development Plan 2000-2006. Payments have been made in 845 cases at a total cost of €6.355 million. Statistics in relation to the total land area involved are currently being extracted by my Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Question No. 74 answered with Question No. 18.
Brendan Howlin
Ceist:75 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his Department has closed the file on the Cooley Peninsula ewe premium fraud uncovered during the foot and mouth crisis; if prosecutions have arisen as a result of this investigation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20828/02]
The position is that an interim assessment of the 257 sheep farmers in the Cooley Peninsula who had applied for ewe premium in 2001 indicated that the number of ewes claimed by 107 farmers was greater than the number of ewes culled in those flocks because of FMD. To date, investigations have been completed in 104 cases. Penalties have been applied in 80 cases – 25 farmers were excluded from the scheme for two years, nine were excluded for one year and nine had their claim disallowed in full. A further 37 had their payments reduced. The total monetary value of undue amounts claimed in these 80 cases is €69,810. Some 24 cases were paid in full and investigations have not yet been completed in three cases.
Some 24 cases are currently being investigated by gardaí. My Department has been informed that a file is being prepared by the Garda for submission to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Question No. 76 answered with Question No. 15.