Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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169. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider granting a person (details supplied) in County Donegal the 2015 young farmers scheme payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7462/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The person named submitted applications under the ‘young farmer’ category of the 2015 National Reserve and the Young Farmers Scheme. To qualify as a ‘young farmer’, a person must be setting up an agricultural holding for the first time in his/her name or have set up such a holding during the five years preceding the first submission of the BPS application. According to records held by my department the person named commenced farming in 2001 which is outside the eligibility period for the measures applied for and as such this application was not successful. The applicant was notified of this decision in writing and was offered the opportunity to submit an appeal.

My Department has now received an appeal from the person named in relation to their National Reserve application. This appeal will be considered by my Department based on the information set out by the applicant and a decision with regard to the outcome of the appeal will be notified in writing to the applicant as soon as possible.