It might be Christmas time but don’t forget to fill up 2014 Sheep Census form

BY ANTHONY O’CONNOR

AVOID been left feeling ‘baa-d’ and counting the cost of returning a sheep census form late. Fill your form now and return it to the Dept. of Agriculture while it’s still fresh in your mind.

Census Date: The Census date was Sunday, December 14, 2014. Not only is it a legal obligation to return this form to DAFM before January 30, 2015. Payments for the Single Payment Scheme, Disadvantaged Area Scheme, Sheep Technology Adoption Programme, REPS, AEOS and the Grassland Sheep Scheme are dependent on a completed form being returned before Jan. 30.

Information from the Census forms is used to calculate stocking rate for the above schemes etc. Return all completed forms by post or online to Government Buildings, Portlaoise, Co Laois.

The only acceptable proof of postage is registered or express post receipts. A postal certificate is no longer acceptable as proof of postage. Retain all postal receipts carefully.

Submission Date: The deadline for submission of the forms is January 30, 2015, for the 2014 census and it’s based on the number of sheep on the holding on Sunday, December 14.

If a farmer has recently bought sheep for the first time or did not receive a census form in the post then they must ring the DAFM in Portlaoise looking for the Sheep Census/ID section and quote the herd number and the DAFM will send them out a sheep census form.

This is especially important for young entrants to farming who have just established a herd number and got into sheep farming. All sheep keepers must carry out an annual inventory of their sheep and return this number to the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The Department normally carries out the annual sheep census each December and a census form together with a pre-paid and pre-addressed return envelope is posted to all keepers so that they can submit their sheep numbers to the Department.

Before returning the census form to the Department the number of sheep declared in the census form should also be recorded in the keeper’s flock register and be present on their holding.

Keepers who have no sheep at the time of the census but who are still involved in sheep farming must still submit a census by returning a  form showing no sheep on the holding on the Census date.

Otherwise the keeper’s designator number may be made dormant which will prevent them from ordering sheep tags and dispatch/movement books.

It is very important for all sheep keepers to submit an accurately completed sheep census form to the Department in advance of the deadline for receipt of forms.

The annual sheep census is an integral part of the National Sheep Identification System and failure to submit a census form on time or the submission of an inaccurate census can render a farmer liable to prosecution.

It can also lead to penalties as a result of cross compliance inspections and hamper claims made under certain schemes.

Filling Census Form: Count accurately all sheep present on your holding on December 14. Fill in form giving age and categories of sheep, breed etc.

A Merry Christmas and a safe, prosperous and happy New Year to all our readers from all the staff in Teagasc.