§ Mr. ToddTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the legal advice her Department uses to determine eligibility for payment under the over-30-months scheme when cattle are presented for slaughter without an official tag but with other supporting documents; and how many claims previously regarded as ineligible for want of tags have been accepted since this advice. [159486]
§ Alun MichaelWhen cattle are presented for slaughter at a designated abattoir the Rural Payments Agency must be satisfied of the origin of the animal. There is a risk that without an ear tag an animal might have been substituted. However, provided that there is some clear and unequivocal identification on the animal itself which directly links with the animal's official documentation it may be concluded that an animal can be satisfactorily identified.
Sixty six animals initially regarded as ineligible because of a missing official tag have since been accepted onto the scheme.