Written answers

Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Department of Agriculture, Marine and Food

Grant Payments

9:00 pm

Photo of Pat BreenPat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 747: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a calf suckler payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23182/11]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named registered forty seven animals under the 2010 Suckler Welfare Scheme. Payment has issued in respect of thirty seven animals. There are outstanding queries on the remaining ten animals. Letters issued to the applicant regarding eight of these animals on 9 May 2011 but no reply has been received from the applicant. A further letter has issued today in respect of the remaining two animals. The case cannot be progressed further until a reply has been received and the queries resolved.

Photo of Paul ConnaughtonPaul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 748: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if retrospective payment will issue to a person (details supplied) in County Galway in regard to area aid payments between 2007 and 2010, in view of the fact that their area aid income was reduced in those years due to the fact that they planted 4.7 acres of forestry, despite a commitment that farmers who planted forestry would not be negatively affected in their single farm payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23216/11]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the EU provisions of the governing EU Regulations, farmers must declare an eligible hectare for each payment entitlement held to benefit from full payment under the Single Payment Scheme.

The EU Regulations do, however, provide that under certain circumstances a farmer can apply to consolidate their payment entitlements. In other words, while the overall value of the Single Farm Payment would remain the same, the number of entitlements held could be reduced and their value increased. One of the measures that are covered by the consolidation process is the afforestation of land under the Afforestation Aid Scheme. If an applicant considers that he or she is eligible to consolidate his or her entitlements in a particular scheme-year, an application must be made by the deadline for the receipt of Single Farm Payment applications in that scheme-year. This date is normally 15 May or the next working day if the 15th May falls on a weekend.

As the person named did not submit an application for the consolidation of entitlements before the deadline for the receipt of applications during the period 2007 and 2010, the payments issued to the applicant in respect of those years were in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations.

I understand that the person named has submitted an application to my Department to consolidate his entitlements in respect of the 2011 scheme-year and he will be informed in due course of the outcome of the application.

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