Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, TD, has announced that due to some herd keepers experiencing delays with receiving their census forms, the deadline for postal returns will be extended to 14th February; the same date for online submissions.
While the deadline for postal returns has been extended to compensate for delays that might have been experienced by some farmers in receiving their forms, the Minister highlighted that farmers could always submit their forms online via agfood.ie where they would get real time confirmation of successful submission. Other benefits of completing your census online include:
- the facility to view census history;
- peace of mind that 2021 census details have been submitted successfully;
- no additional inconvenience or costs associated with registering a postal return.
- sheep keepers registered for on-line services can order books of sheep dispatch/movement documents on-line through the Animal Identification and Movements (AIM) system.
Notwithstanding the extended closing date, the onus remains with the flock/herd keeper to make sure that completed postal returns of census forms are received on time. Keepers should be aware that, in the case of dispute regarding postal returns, the only acceptable proof of postage is a Registered Post receipt. Postal certificates or express post receipts are not acceptable as proof of postage
The Minister reminded all registered sheep and goat herd keepers that it is a legal requirement to complete their census forms and that a failure to return a completed form on time could impact on eligibility for certain DAFM schemes. He thanked sheep and goat keepers for their ongoing engagement with the census process, where response rates of some 90% are generally achieved.
Further information on the census can be found on the Animal Identification and Movement section on our website – gov.ie – Animal Identification & Movement (AIM) (www.gov.ie)
