asked the Minister for Agriculture the income limit for part time farmers to qualify for sheep and cattle headage payments in the disadvantaged areas in each of the ten EC member states.
Written Answers. - Disadvantaged Areas Scheme.
397.
Part time farmers in the disadvantaged areas of Belgium, Greece, Italy and the Netherlands and in the disadvantaged areas of France other than mountain areas must earn at least 50 per cent of their income from farming and spend more than 50 per cent of their working time at farming to qualify for sheep and cattle headage payments. In the disadvantaged mountain areas of France the income of part time farmers must not exceed twice the minimum social welfare income level.
In Germany, farmers whose combined farm and off-farm incomes exceed a certain level do not qualify for payment. In certain German lander, part time farmers whose off-farm income exceeds a certain level are also excluded from payment. In Rhineland-Pfalz, for example, the combined income cannot exceed 20,953 ECU and the off-farm income cannot exceed 12,578 ECU.
In Luxembourg all farmers qualify for payment but full-time farmers receive a supplementary payment of 22 ECUs per livestock unit which part-time farmers are not paid. In Ireland, of course, the combined incomes of applicant and spouse must not exceed £6,400 if the applicant is to qualify for cattle and/or sheep headage payments. The United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal do not as yet take off-farm income into account when determining eligibility for such payments. Denmark does not pay compensatory allowances to farmers.