Joe Walsh
Question:310 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the proposals, if any, he has brought forward in relation to the headage payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9189/97]
Written Answers - Headage Schemes.
Joe Walsh
Question:311 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the proposals, if any, he has made or agreed to in relation to the continuing payment of headage to farmers over 65 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9190/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 311 together.
Following consideration of the Kearney report on the compensatory allowances scheme, I put a number of proposals to the European Commission to provide for amendments to the headage schemes in 1997 and following years. The intention was that two of the proposals (i) implementing a ceiling of £3,000 on payments to individual farmers and (ii) reducing the higher rate of grant for Freisian cows and in-calf heifers would come into effect in 1997 and the remaining two in 1998 — (iii) disallowing headage payments to farmers over 66 in receipt of a contributory retirement pension and (iv) paying headage to farmers in areas designated as degraded under the rural environment protection scheme (REPS) only if they were participating in REPS. As part of Partnership 2000, it was provided that proposals (ii), (iii) and (iv) would come into effect from 1 January 1998 and that proposal (i) would also come into effect on that date unless agreement was reached between the Government and the farm organisations early in 1997 on a workable alternative which did not involve exceeding the total OPARDF allocation for compensatory allowances. I have not yet received any submissions in that regard from the farm organisations. Formal negotiations with the Commission services have commenced on the four proposals but I am not yet in a position to indicate when this process will be completed.