No Single Payment up to July for over 900
“We are dealing with complex difficulties, such as questions of landownership, disputes or transfers”, he said.
He revealed Department officials have visited those who haven’t made claims and encouraged them to send applications.
At the end of last June, about 900 applicants under the 2005 Single Payment Scheme had not been paid.
Mr Moran also revealed that 4,266 successful force majeure claims were made in 2005, seeking compensation for dips in production during the Single Payment reference years. The total paid to the 4,266 farmers involved was €51.9m, of which the force majeure element totalled €8.5m.
The number of applications rejected was 13,326.
*Up to June 2006, a total of 4,943 appeals were considered from farmers who were not satisfied with the Department’s decisions in relation to their Single Payment entitlements.
Of these, 509 appeals were upheld, 4,287 were not, 44 were deemed to be invalid and 103 had not been finalised. Applicants in 64 cases not upheld complained to the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Department has changed decisions in eight of these cases, often in light of further information.
Since March 2006, the Appeals Committee is also considering appeals in relation to the allocation of entitlements from the National Reserve. Some 900 such appeals were lodged with the Appeals Committee.
