asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he proposes increasing the off-farm income eligibility limit for headage qualification for part-time farmers.
Written Answers. - Headage Grants.
38.
I have no immediate plans to change the off-farm income limit of £5,200 which applies under Ireland's disadvantaged areas schemes. These schemes are primarily intended as income supplements to farmers and I do not see any merit, given our limited Exchequer resources, in reducing the payments to the farmers already in our schemes in order to make payments to farmers with off-farm incomes above that limit.