Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 218: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if, in view of correspondence, a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath has been considered for additional entitlements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6331/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I confirm that an application form to the 2005 single payment national reserve has been received from the person named before the closing date for receipt of applications. The position with regard to the national reserve is that all applications are being processed at present and in view of the number of applications received and accompanying documentation submitted, it will be some time before processing is completed. It is not possible to indicate at this stage whether the person named will qualify for an allocation of entitlements from the reserve on foot of his application. Applicants will be notified of their eligibility or otherwise as soon as all applications are processed.

Since the person named was not in a position to declare the 30.47 hectares of inherited land on his 2002 area aid application form, that area cannot be used in calculating 2002 extensification premium.

Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 219: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath has been refused an application under [i]force majeure[/i] and exceptional needs appeal system, in relation to the single payments system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6362/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The person named submitted an application for consideration of force majeure-exceptional circumstances in the calculation of his provisional single payment entitlements as a result of TB restriction of his herd in 2000 and 2001.

Following an examination of the pattern of production, the inward and outward movements recorded on the cattle movement monitoring system and the premia eligibility of the animals present on the holding during the reference years. The single payment unit advised the person named that the circumstances outlined by him did not satisfy the force majeure-exceptional circumstances criteria laid down in Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003.

The person named appealed this decision to the independent single payment appeals committee who carried out a full review of the circumstances of the case. The recommendation of the appeals committee was that the decision taken by the single payment unit should be upheld.