There are no provisions under the force majeure measure of the single farm payment scheme to grant higher or additional entitlements. Where production was affected during the reference years by an accepted case of force majeure-exceptional circumstances, a year or years may be excluded and the single farm payment calculated on a one or two year average. The person named, having been notified that the circumstances outlined by her did not satisfy the criteria for force majeure-exceptional circumstances under Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1782/2003, submitted an appeal to the independent single payment appeals committee.
Following a full examination of the circumstances outlined in the appeal, the independent single payment appeals committee made a recommendation and a letter issued to the person named on 1 October 2004. The findings of the appeals committee were that the original decision taken by my Department should be upheld. The medical circumstances put forward occurred in 1993 and consequently the appeals committee did not consider that force majeure could be applied in this case.