Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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819. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when agri-environment option scheme payments will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo; the amount of the penalty imposed on them; the reason for the penalties; if this was reviewed after the inspection in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27648/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named was approved for participation in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme with effect from the 1^st November 2010 and full payment totalling €652.08 issued in respect of 2010.

Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. The person named was selected for a Cross Compliance Inspection which resulted in a penalty of 3% being imposed.

This application was also selected for on farm Inspections which took place on 5^th December 2011 and 4^th April 2012. During these inspections non-compliances were identified in relation to the Species Rich Grassland action which resulted in a further penalty being imposed. A letter issued to the person named on the 4^th April 2012 informing him of these non compliances and set out his appeal option. An appeal was received by my Department and following a review of the file, the decision was made to disallow the appeal. On 10^th June 2013 a letter issued to the person named informing him of this and giving him the option of appeal to the Agriculture Appeals Office.