Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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483. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a hardship payment for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21624/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Hardship Grant Scheme is aimed at assisting eligible herdowners who retain and feed animals during prolonged periods of restriction as a result of a TB breakdown.  Eligibility for the scheme is subject to certain criteria and is designed to alleviate the additional feed costs incurred.  It operates between 1st November and 30th April. The primary condition for eligibility is that the relevant holding remains restricted following a full herd reactor re-test in the same restriction period.  This means that the holding must be in continuous period of restriction of at least 60 days in length and hardship is only payable from the retest. Herds restricted at any time from the 1st November to 30th April, that have had a full reactor re-test during this period, qualify subject to the 60 day requirement.

The herd in question was restricted on 23 February 2019.  The reactors were slaughtered on 8 March 2019 and the first reactor retest took place on the 17th May 2019. As the herd did not complete a full reactor retest within the eligibility period for the Hardship grant, i.e. before the 30^thApril, the herd is not eligible for a hardship grant.