The rules governing the payment of compensation under the TB and Brucellosis eradication programme provide that payment is made to the herd owner, not to the keeper of the herd from which the reactors were removed. The herd keeper is the natural or legal person responsible for tending to and keeping animals on a day to day basis, whether on a permanent or temporary basis. This is a non financial role and therefore it is not possible to make payments to herd keepers, unless they have also registered an interest as owner.
Under the TB and Brucellosis Eradication Scheme, where payment of grants are likely to exceed €10,000 in any 12 month period, a Tax Clearance Certificate must be provided in respect of all persons registered as having an interest in the role of herd owner during the period concerned before any payment can issue. In the case in question, there was only one person registered as the herd owner at the time the animals were removed as reactors and since this person has been unable to provide a Tax Clearance Certificate, my Department is not in a position to issue the outstanding payments.