Seanad debates
Tuesday, 11 November 2003
Direct Payments Decoupling: Statements.
We also have farmers who for one reason or another did not measure up to the entitlement. In some cases, farmers got into farming in one or two years and they have a more equitable distribution of their entitlements. As a number of Senators said, next year will be busy because the Department will have to make out entitlements for each individual farmer. There will be a percentage of farmers who will be aggrieved or dissatisfied with their entitlement and we will do our best to ensure equity prevails. To be as fair as possible, I intend to set up an appeal system to allow people make an oral presentation before an appeals board, with their adviser or advisers, and get the fairest return possible. In making out the entitlements, establishing the appeal system and keeping up the payments, next year will be extraordinarily difficult and busy for the Department. As Senator Bradford said, the clinics probably will be fairly busy as well because individual farmers will want to get as good a deal as possible.
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