Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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871. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a timeframe as to when a payment will be received for the beef technology adoption programme in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45839/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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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 31October 2012. He/she must also have finished a minimum of 15 cattle to slaughter in 2011.

While the person named does not have a suckler herd, he was initially eligible to participate in the Programme on the basis of the of the number of animals slaughtered; however, as he was subsequently confirmed as not being a certified member of the Beef Quality Assurance Scheme (BQAS), he was ineligible for payment under 2012 BTAP. He was notified accordingly by letter dated 27 June 2013.