Single Payment Appeals

In February 2004, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Joe Walsh TD, established a Single Payment Appeals Committee to deal with appeals made by farmers who are not satisfied with the decisions of his Department in relation to the implementation of the various facets of the Single Payment Scheme.

The Appeals Committee is chaired by Mr John Duggan and comprises Appeals Officers from the Agriculture Appeals Office. Mr Duggan, who is a farmer and a former Chairman of Avonmore and Glanbia plc, has experience of all aspects of the agricultural sector. Mr Duggan has also served as a board member of both Bord Bia and the Irish Dairy Board.

Minister Walsh said that at the outset the Single Payment Appeals Committee would examine appeals in relation to the decisions of his Department under the Force Majeure arrangements. He stated that the new Appeals Committee would, in due course, also deal with the appeals from individual farmers in relation to other aspects of the implementation of the Single Payment Scheme including the provisional Single Payment entitlements and individual decisions in relation to the allocation of entitlements from the National Reserve.

Farmers who are not satisfied with a decision of the Department relating to the Single Payments can submit an appeal to the Single Payment Appeals Committee via;

The Single Payment Unit
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Government Offices
Old Abbeyleix Road
Portlaoise
Co. Laois
Telephone: 0502-74400 or
Lo-Call: 1890 200 506