Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 8 Oct 2003

Vol. 572 No. 1

Written Answers. - Grant Payments.

John Ellis

Ceist:

98 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his Department will award the remaining grants due to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 for area based payments and premiums. [22556/03]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

The area aid applications for the person named cannot be processed due to a problem regarding commonage evidence on a parcel of land declared by the applicant. My Department is involved in ongoing communication with the named person to enable the applications to be processed.

The person named was paid his full entitlements under the 2001 and 2002 area-based compensatory allowance schemes. The person named was also paid his full entitlements under the 2000 ewe premium and sheep headage schemes and the 2001 and 2002 ewe premium schemes.

John Ellis

Ceist:

99 Mr. Ellis asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if his Department will pay premiums due to a person (details supplied) in County Leitrim. [22557/03]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

The 2003 area aid application for the person named cannot be processed due to a problem regarding commonage evidence on a parcel of land declared by the applicant. My Department is involved in ongoing communication with the named person to enable the applications to be processed.

Payments under the 2003 ewe premium are scheduled to commence on 16 October and the person named should receive her payment shortly after that date. However, the supplementary premium element of the ewe premium cannot be processed for payment until the area aid application is found to be in order. Payment under the 2003 area-based compensatory allowance scheme will issue when the 2003 area aid application is found to be in order.

The person named applied for premium for 22 animals under the 2002 suckler cow premium scheme. Payment of the 80% advance instalment amounting to €3,945.04 issued on 30 January 2003 and a balancing payment for €986.26 was made on 1 May 2003.

The herdowner is also an applicant under the 2003 suckler cow premium scheme. Advance payments under this scheme are due to commence later this month.

The person named participated in 2002 extensification premium opting for the simplified system for the purposes of determining eligibility. On participating she chose to observe a stocking density of less than 1.40 livestock units per hectare for each and every day of 2002. Under the terms of the relevant regulation, prior to payment, the Department is required to carry out stocking density cross-checks against the CMMS animal database to ensure that the stocking densities as chosen were not breached. Cross checks were carried out at 19 May and 15 September 2002 at which dates respective stocking densities of 1.5923 and 1.6361 livestock units per hectare were established. These stocking densities were calculated taking into account the 22.35 livestock units attributable to the 149 ewes that qualified for payment of 2002 ewe premium on the holding, which itself consisted of 27.35 hectares. Within the past week, CMMS based herd profiles issued to the person named. The profiles detailed by livestock unit value the eartag number and date of birth of each bovine animal over the age of six months present on the holding on the two dates at which the cross-checks were carried out. If the person named disputes the accuracy of the herd profiles she should proceed as indicated in the letter which accompanied the profiles.