Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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396. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person's (details supplied) eligibility for an ANC payment from 2015 will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52991/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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An application under the 2015 Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme was received from the person named on 7 May 2015 and payment issued directly to the person named on 23 September 2015.

In relation to the application for the 2016 Scheme, the Terms and Conditions of the ANC Scheme set 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 2016 ANC scheme was 16 May 2016. The Census return of the person named was not received in My Department until 23 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 was in direct contact with the agent representing the person named regarding the late return of the sheep census on 15 June 2017. A formal letter has issued to the person named informing him of the findings and of his right to seek a review of this decision within ninety days to the Agriculture Appeals Office.