Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will review the application by a person (details supplied) in County Mayo for entitlements as a new entrant. [26093/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the 2005 National Reserve under Categories B and D.

Category B catered for farmers who 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 2000-2002. Investments could include purchase or long-term lease of land, purchase of suckler and/or ewe quota or other investments. The application was in respect of the purchase of suckler quota but the person named was deemed ineligible under this category, as he did not purchase any suckler quota.

Category D catered for farmers who inherited or purchased land and who commenced farming after 31 December 2002 or who commenced farming in 2002 but who did not receive direct payments in respect of that scheme year. The person named commenced farming and received a herd number in July 2000 and therefore he could not be catered for under the New Entrant category of the National Reserve. An application under the 2002 Area Based Compensatory Allowance Scheme was received from the person named on 8 May 2002. One of the primary provisions of the 2002 Area Based Compensatory Allowance Scheme was that applicants were required to maintain a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare of the farm for at least four consecutive months. However, where the holding of an applicant was identified as potentially not meeting this minimum stocking density requirement, the applicant was invited to submit evidence of satisfactory stocking i.e. Flock Register, Horse Passports, or, alternatively, the applicant could submit details of a REPS plan or a Commonage Framework Plan, which provided for a lower stocking level.

As the stocking density of the holding of the person named did not appear to meet the minimum required, the person named was written to and invited to submit appropriate evidence of livestock units maintained on the farm. On receipt of this evidence the application was further processed and full payment of €4,126.60 issued to the person named on 10 September 2003. The payable order was cashed on 22 September 2003.