Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 336: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will review the single farm payment entitlement of a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33523/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application for consideration of force majeure or exceptional circumstances in respect of his entitlements under the scheme. The circumstances outlined by him did not satisfy the criteria for force majeure or exceptional circumstances under Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1782/2003. The person named appealed that decision to the single payment appeals committee. The finding of the appeals committee was that the original decision taken by my Department should be upheld. The person named then submitted his case to the Ombudsman, who also upheld my Department's decision in this matter.

As no new evidence or additional information has been furnished to my Department there are no grounds for a review of the single farm payment entitlements due to the person named, at this time. The person named also submitted an application under category C of the single payment scheme national reserve which caters for farmers who, between 1 January 2000 and 19 October 2003, sold their milk quota into the milk quota restructuring scheme and converted their enterprise to a farming sector for which a direct payment under livestock premia and-or arable aid schemes would have been payable during the reference period 2000-02.

Over 23,000 applications for an allocation of entitlements from the national reserve were received when account is taken of farmers who applied under more than one category. Processing of these applications continues and the intention is to make allocations to successful applicants at the earliest opportunity. The Department will be in touch with individual applicants as soon as their applications are fully processed.