Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 204: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will be awarded the single farm payment. [6235/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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An application under the single payment scheme was received from the person named on 16 May 2005. An application to consolidate his entitlements was also submitted by the herd owner. During processing of the consolidation application, it was necessary for a Department of Agriculture and Food official to make direct contact with the person named to seek clarification of certain matters relating to his application. The person named has agreed to provide further documentation regarding the application. On receipt of this documentation, the Department will process the application of the person named and inform him of the decision in his case.

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 205: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position concerning an application for extra suckler cow quota under [i]force majeure[/i] from a person (details supplied) in County Limerick. [6269/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application on 6 February 2004 for consideration of her circumstances under the force majeure-exceptional circumstances measure of the single payment scheme. Having assessed the application, the single payment entitlements unit informed the person named that her application could not be accepted as she did not fulfil the force majeure criteria laid down in Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1782/2003. The person named was advised to submit an application under the national reserve measure of the single payment scheme.

The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the single payments scheme national reserve under category B. Category B caters for farmers who, between 1 January 2000 and 19 October 2003, made an investment in production capacity in 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 to 2002. Investments can include purchase or long-term lease of land, purchase of suckler and-or ewe quota or other investments.

The position is that more than 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 is continuing 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 when formal letters setting out the Department's decision will be issued.