Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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501. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding replacement tags for unregistered animals (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30877/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The issues raised concerning the above named herd keepers, which date back to 2001 have been the subject of previous correspondence to my Department. The matters have also been extensively examined by the Agriculture Appeals Committee and the Office of the Ombudsman and the decisions taken by this Department have all been upheld by the aforementioned offices.

In relation to bovine tags I understand that a letter issued to the first named person on 9 October 2001 from the local District Veterinary Office (DVO) in Ennis informing him that he received 77 tags between 1999 and 2001 and that he had registered only 56 animals. He was also informed that he had to account for the 21 tags not used before he could order any more tags.

The EU Single Payment Scheme which operated from 2005 to 2013 was determined on entitlements based on the average number of animals, and/or the average number of hectares in the case of Arable Aid, on which payments were made in the three reference years 2000, 2001 and 2002 multiplied by the 2002 rate divided by the average number of eligible hectares declared during the same reference period. In this regard, the first person named established 43.74 entitlements at €168.55 net unit value, giving a total net value of €7,598.51. The second person named established 31.27 entitlements at €133.59 net unit value giving a total net value of €4,177.36.

In 2004 the holdings previously farmed separately by the first person named and by the second person named were amalgamated and consequently it was necessary to amalgamate the entitlements held by each party under the Single Payment Scheme.

These entitlements were then amalgamated in their joint account giving a revised total of 75.01 entitlements at €171.73 net unit value with a total value of €12,881.46 (This is inclusive of a net Dairy Premium allocation of €1,331.72).

In addition, an application was made to the National Reserve in 2005 under Category B which caters for farmers who made an investment in production capacity in a farming sector for which a direct payment under Livestock Premia and/or Arable Aid schemes would have been payable during the reference period 2000 – 2002. This application was in relation to investment in land and was successful. A total of 5.15 new entitlements at €239.46 net unit value and a total net value of €1,233.22 was allocated from the National Reserve.

The persons named submitted applications to consolidate their entitlements in 2006 and again in 2009 so that in the latter year they held 49.15 entitlements with a unit value of €269.41 and a total value of €13,241.50.

A reply to the representations that were forwarded to my office on 23 June 2015 will shortly issue.