Vol. 472 No. 3
254 Mr. M. Brennan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the reason the dairy hygiene scheme was closed; when the scheme was closed; the amount of notice of closure, if any, which was given to farmers; whether adequate time was given to farmers to submit applications; and the proposals, if any, there are to reopen the scheme. [22940/96]
The dairy hygiene scheme is one of the on farm investment submeasures of the Operational Programme for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry 1994-99. The scheme was launched in September 1994 by my predecessor and was open to all dairy farmers with a permanent milk quota below 40,000 gallons. The scheme was suspended with immediate effect on 4 October 1996 and a press release issued at that time. By that date, more than two years after the scheme was launched, some 7,600 applications had been received, of which 5,000 had been fully processed and approvals issued in respect of 4,700. The balance of applications on hand will result in all the available funds being fully committed. Should additional funds become available as a result of the mid-term review of Structural Funds, it is my intention to reintroduce the scheme in a modified form.
