Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 March 2004
220 Mr. B. Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason for the delay in approving a 2001 ewe premium application for a person (details supplied) in County Cavan; if this application will be approved without further delay; if payment will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7937/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named applied for the 2000 ewe premium scheme on 317 ewes. He was not paid as he failed to co-operate with the inspecting officer and did not produce satisfactory documentary evidence that he was the owner of the sheep at the time of application and at the end of the retention period, that is, 28 April 2000. His appeal to the independent appeals unit of my Department was not accepted.
The person applied for the 2001 ewe premium scheme on 317 ewes. Owing to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001, no on-farm inspection of his flock took place. Instead, additional administrative checks were introduced in 2001 to verify that the number of ewes applied for under the 2001 ewe premium scheme were in the ownership and possession of applicants at the time of application. Certain applicants, including the person named, were requested to submit certain documentation, that is, purchase-sales dockets, but the person named failed to do so.
In this case, the person named failed to satisfy my Department that he was the owner of the sheep in year 2000 and he was also unable to show that he owned the ewes when he applied for the 2001 ewe premium scheme. In the circumstances, payment cannot be made in this instance.
