Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2015
342. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to set out the position regarding a cross-compliance penalty against a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18187/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted a 2014 Single Farm Payment/Disadvantaged Areas’ scheme application on 2 May 2014. EU Regulations governing the administration of these schemes require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases on-farm inspections, be completed to ensure compliance with scheme requirements. The application of the person named was selected for a Cross Compliance inspection.
This inspection identified breaches in relation to sheep identification and registration requirements resulting in a 20% penalty being applied. In addition, the inspection identified non-compliances with the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) standards relating to the requirement to ensure a minimum level of maintenance of land, resulting in a 3% penalty being applied.
These non-compliances resulted in an overall penalty of 23% being applied against the 2014 Direct Payment Schemes. The person named was notified of this decision on 20 October 2014. The person named has appealed this decision and this request is currently being examined. The person named will be notified of the outcome of this review as soon as possible. In the event that the person named is dissatisfied with the outcome of this review, the decision can be appealed to the independent Agriculture Appeals Office, within 3 months.
