John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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89. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine why a person did not receive payment under the areas of natural constraint scheme; if a person can appeal a decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3402/16]

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. Section 3.6 of the ANC scheme Terms and Conditions advises that, 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 eligible 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.