Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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231. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine why payment did not issue under the areas of natural constraint scheme for 2015 to a person (details supplied) in County Galway, if donkeys that were considered eligible under the 2014 disadvantage area based scheme are also considered eligible under the 2015 areas of natural constraint scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45116/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application under the 2015 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme was received from the person named on 29 May, 2015. Payment has not issued to the person named as the holding concerned cannot be confirmed as satisfying the Scheme's minimum stocking density requirements.

Under the 2015 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme, eligible applicants are required to have met a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units for a retention period of seven consecutive months and to maintain an annual average of 0.15 livestock units calculated over the twelve months of the scheme year. While donkeys continue to be considered as a qualifying animal for inclusion in the stocking density calculations, only those donkeys registered in the name of the applicant and in accordance with EU regulation 504/2008 will be considered under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme.

Five donkey passports were received from the person named. Upon examination, three were deemed eligible and two deemed ineligible. EU Regulation 504/2008 requires all equines to be micro chipped and passports obtained by year end or within six months of birth, which ever date occurs later. The person named was notified in writing of these findings on 10 November 2015 and informed of the option to pursue the matter with the Agricultural Appeals Office.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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232. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine why payment did not issue under the areas of natural constraint scheme for 2015 to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare, if donkeys that were considered eligible under the 2014 disadvantaged area based scheme are also considered eligible under the 2015 areas of natural constraint scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45117/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An application under the 2015 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme was received from the person named on 28 May 2015. Payment under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme has not issued to the person named as the holding concerned cannot be confirmed as satisfying the Scheme's minimum stocking density requirements.

Under the 2015 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme, eligible applicants are required to have met a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units for a retention period of seven consecutive months and to maintain an annual average of 0.15 livestock units calculated over the twelve months of the scheme year. While donkeys continue to be considered as a qualifying animal for inclusion in the stocking density calculations, only those donkeys registered in the name of the applicant and in accordance with EU regulation 504/2008 will be considered under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme.

Three donkey passports were received from the person named. Upon examination two were deemed eligible and one was deemed ineligible. EU Regulation 504/2008 requires all equines to be micro chipped and passports obtained by year end or within six months of birth, which ever date occurs later. The person named was notified in writing of these findings on 4 December, 2015 and advised of the option of submitting further information at this stage.