A farmer lost out in his appeal over the Department of Agriculture’s decision not to allow him to enter the ANC scheme due to the fact that he did not meet eligibility requirements or conform to the required deadline.

The farmer sought an appeal against the Department regarding its decision because he was suffering from a medical condition rendering him unable to complete the sheep census form in time.

The Department stated that under the terms and conditions of the ANC scheme, applicants with sheep must submit a sheep/goat census before the closing date (29 January 2016).

Even if farmers don’t have any stock on their holdings, they still have a duty to complete a census form

Under the EU regulation 21/2004, sheep farmers are required to count the sheep present in their flock. This number must be recorded and returned to the Department via the census form.

Even if farmers don’t have any stock on their holdings, they still have a duty to complete a census form.

Medical evidence

Furthermore, to be eligible for the 2016 scheme, applicants must have a minimum stocking density of 0.15LU/ha calculated over a 12-month period.

Following this, the appeals officer then examined the medical evidence that the farmer provided. It was found that the farmer was involved in carrying out farm activities throughout 2016.

This contradicted the claims the farmer made under the long-term professional incapacity prevision of unforeseen circumstances and resulted in the appeal being disallowed.

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