asked the Minister for Agriculture if his attention has been drawn to a statement made by the chairmen of County Donegal Irish Farmers Association calling on the Government to adopt a common income standard for the farm improvement scheme grants instead of having different standards for different areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Farm Improvement Programme.
141.
Regulation (EEC) 797/85 on which the farm improvement programme is based requires a reference income to be fixed at a level not exceeding the average gross wage of non-agricultural workers in the region. Following the practice adopted in the farm modernisation scheme separate regional figures will be fixed for County Dublin, the rest of the eastern region and the western region.
The levels at which the reference income are fixed ensure that farmers whose enterprises yield an income per man work unit greater than the income of non-agricultural workers in the region are excluded from the programme and in this way provide for the best use of the Exchequer funds that can be made available.