Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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1595. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will receive farm payments for 2016; the reason for the delay in issuing the payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26609/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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An application under the 2016 Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme was received from the person named on 22 April 2016.

Under the ANC Scheme, eligible applicants are required to have met a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per hectare for a retention period of seven consecutive months and to maintain an annual average of 0.15 livestock units  per hectare calculated over the twelve months of the scheme year. 

The Terms and Conditions of the ANC Scheme sets out that, under EU Regulation 21/2004, all flock owners’ and sheep keepers are obliged to count the sheep in their flock, record this number in the flock register and thereafter are legally obliged to return this number to my Department via the annual Sheep/Goat Census return. The closing date for the receipt of census returns for acceptance under the scheme was 16 May 2016.

Processing of the 2016 ANC application of the person named identified that the holding concerned had not met these eligibility criteria as outlined in the Terms and Conditions. 

A Department official has been in direct contact with the agent representing the person named regarding the late return of the sheep census. A letter has issued to the person named informing her of the findings, and of her right to seek a review of this decision within ninety days to the Agriculture Appeals Office.