Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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575. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason payment under the beef technology scheme has not issued to a farmer (details supplied) in County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23892/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named was a participant of the 2012 Beef Technology Adoption Programme. Participants were required to attend a prescribed number of discussion group meetings or approved national events, in addition to completing two Tasks, chosen from a menu of eight, designed to enhance on-farm efficiency. The broad range of available Task options allowed participants to choose those best suited to the business needs and particular characteristics of their beef enterprises.

The person named did not qualify for payment because he failed to satisfactorily complete one of two selected Tasks – the task related to the completion of a herd health plan in consultation with a veterinary practitioner. Participants who chose that task were required to join the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme, a condition of which was that herd owners had to submit tissue samples from all calves born on their holdings in 2012 to one of a number of designated laboratories. Task completion was verified by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) which maintains a database of laboratory results on behalf of Animal Health Ireland. Information received from ICBF indicated that the herd owner in question did not sample any animal born in 2012. While the calves born in 2012 were BVD-tested in January 2013, this does not meet the Task requirement for the 2012 Programme.

It is the responsibility of participants and their facilitators to familiarise themselves with the Programme Terms and Conditions. In applying for the BTAP, farmers undertook to comply with the Terms and Conditions of the Programme and accepted that failure to abide by the rules could result in a loss of payment.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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576. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers in the beef technology scheme in 2012; the number that have been paid for 2012; the number that have not been paid; the reasons they have not been paid; the number rejected on the basis of not carrying out the BVD test in time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23893/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under Food Harvest 2020, ambitious development targets were set for a number of agricultural sectors, including the beef sector. In this context, €5m of Exchequer funding was made available in 2012 for the establishment of a Beef Technology Adoption Programme (BTAP) to encourage the adoption of best management practice on beef farms.

In order to qualify for the 2012 Beef Technology Adoption Programme, applicants were required to have satisfied one of the following criteria:

- Farmers with suckler cows must be current participants in the Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme (AWRBS), that is, they must have received payments under the Scheme on 2010 born calves and have applied to participate in ICBF HerdPlus prior to applying for the Programme.

- Beef farmers without a suckler herd must have applied to participate in ICBF HerdPlus prior to applying for the Programme. Any farmer finishing animals to slaughter must have applied for membership of the Beef Quality Assurance Scheme (BQAS) before the application date for this Programme and must be a member of the scheme by 31 October 2012. He/she must also have finished a minimum of 15 cattle to slaughter in 2011.

Nationally, 5,685 applicants satisfied the entry requirements, In addition to the entry criteria, however, applicants were also required to attend a minimum of five Discussion group meetings/approved National Events, and successfully complete two Tasks, selected from a menu of eight Tasks. Eligibility for payment required that participants be confirmed as having attended the required minimum number of meetings and to have completed their chosen two Tasks; to date a total of 4,809 participants have been paid. All unpaid cases are being reviewed and, where eligibility is confirmed, payment will issue; those confirmed as unsuccessful will be advised accordingly, in writing. In common with all Schemes/Programmes operated by my Department, those who are found to be unsuccessful will be afforded the right of appeal.

Regarding Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) testing, this activity arises in the context of one of the tasks related to the completion of a herd health plan in consultation with a veterinary practitioner. Participants who chose that task were required to join the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme, a condition of which was that herd owners had to submit tissue samples from all calves born on their holdings in 2012 to one of a number of designated laboratories. Task completion was verified by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) which maintains a database of laboratory results on behalf of Animal Health Ireland. Information received from ICBF indicated that 66 participants did not sample any animal born in 2012 and thereby failed the Task.