Ned O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 269: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if his attention has been drawn to the fact that payment has not issued to a person (details supplied) in County Cork under the disadvantaged area scheme 2008. [2524/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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An application under the 2008 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 29 April 2008; the application was accepted on the basis that the person named was awaiting the assignment of a herd number from the Department's Local Office. In this regard, it is understood that the process of assigning a herd number, including the necessary inspection of the holding of the person named, was completed within one month of the application being lodged, with the herd number being assigned on 9 May 2008.

One of the primary requirements of the 2008 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was that applicants were required to maintain a minimum stocking density on their holding of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare for at least three consecutive months. However, following initial processing of this application, it was established that the holding of the person named did not meet this minimum stocking density requirement, as the applicant only held the livestock for a period of two consecutive months i.e. stock only recorded as being on the holding in September (37 bovines), October (37 bovines) and December (10 bovines). Therefore, having failed to meet the minimum stocking density requirement, the person named is ineligible for payment under the 2008 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. The person named is an applicant under REPS 4, payments in respect of which have only recently begun to issue.