Seanad debates
Tuesday, 11 November 2003
Direct Payments Decoupling: Statements.
A number of the issues raised are of vital importance to people in the future. Concerns were expressed about farmers whose herds suffered because of animal disease during the reference years 2000 to 2002 and farmers whose families had undergone difficulties in that time. Those people will be regarded as force majeure cases. We had an example of this during the foot and mouth crisis of 2001 when some herds were entirely wiped out. These people are obviously entitled to full credit. They will be the first people to be credited – their quota will be given out first, followed by the 3% reserve, and the remainder will be divided out in quota entitlements to individual farmers. The type of cases regarded as force majeure cases are those in which the death or long-term illness of a farmer, a natural disaster, the destruction of buildings by lightning or similar, or animal disease such as BSE, brucellosis or TB, occurred during the reference years. The farmers in these cases are certainly entitled to full credit.
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