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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 May 1997

Vol. 478 No. 7

Written Answers - Grant Payments.

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh

Question:

218 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will ensure that the necessary resources are provided to prevent cuts in headage payments in 1998 and 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11977/97]

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh

Question:

219 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry his views on the possible imposition of a £3,000 ceiling on headage payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11978/97]

Ivan Yates

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together.

A formal commitment to have compensatory headage payments independently evaluated was entered into by my Department as part of the negotiations in 1994 on the Structural Funds leading up to the approval of the Operational Programme for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry (OPARDF). The Commission's attitude was that the funds allocated to this measure represented too high a percentage, 62 per cent, of the overall allocation to the Structural Improvement and Rural Development element of the Operational Programme.

The consultants who carried out the evaluation came up with a number of broad recommendations and following consideration of the report, I put a number of proposals to the European Commission to provide for amendments to the headage schemes: (i) implement a ceiling of £3,000 on payments to individual farmers; (ii) reduce the higher rate of grants for Friesian cows and in-calf heifers; (iii) disallow headage payments to farmers over 66 in receipt of a non-means tested retirement pension; and (iv) pay 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.
In accordance with recommendations of the consultants, the aim is to adjust the payment structure in favour of smaller farmers but, as also agreed in Partnership 2000, the Government is committed to maintaining the overall current level of resources allocated to the scheme under the OPARDF.
Formal negotiations with the Commission services have now commenced on the proposals listed above.
Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh

Question:

220 Mr. J. Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry his views on the introduction of a dairy cow premium to compensate producers for any future cuts in EU milk prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11979/97]

Ivan Yates

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

Consideration of the future of the EU dairy regime beyond the year 2000 is due to begin later this year. As part of this process, the Commission will present to the Agriculture Council its analysis of the market situation and of the international environment likely to prevail at the time, as well as the policy options for milk in the coming decade. Among the issues to be addressed in this context will be the level and nature of support for the sector.

It is Government policy that direct income support will be sought by way of compensation for reduced support. My overall priority will be to ensure that whatever policy is adopted is one in which the Irish dairy sector can continue to develop and increase its contribution to rural Ireland and to the wider national economy.

Hugh Byrne

Hugh Byrne

Hugh Byrne

Question:

221 Mr. H. Byrne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will give a breakdown of all premia paid in respect of each premium by county in 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11980/97]

Ivan Yates

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

The amounts of headage and premia, including arable aid premia, paid in respect of each scheme per county during the calendar year 1996 are outlined on the following table.

Headage and Premia Schemes — Amount Paid (£m) in calendar year 1996 (including payments made under the 1994, 1995 and 1996 Schemes in 1996).

County

Headage Schemes

Premia Schemes

Total Headage and Premia

Cattle Headage

Beef Cow

Sheep Headage

Equine Headage

Goat Headage

Special Beef Premium

Suckler Cow Premium

Ewe Premium

Slaughter Premium

Extensification Premium

BSE Package

Arable Aid

Carlow

0.250

0.338

0.484

0.077

0.0001

3.192

2.220

4.207

0.454

0.653

1.316

3.964

17.0851

Cavan

5.290

0.205

0.355

0.022

0.0047

4.554

6.703

1.609

0.291

2.259

2.180

0.035

23.5077

Clare

7.918

0.310

0.173

0.106

0.0059

7.343

11.671

1.251

0.145

4.065

3.129

0.021

36.1379

Cork

5.367

0.651

1.372

0.066

0.044

24.152

11.745

6.517

2.341

5.573

9.046

12.792

79.6264

Donegal

5.482

0.002

4.438

0.044

0.0016

4.444

7.378

10.845

0.739

2.231

2.393

1.898

39.8956

Dublin

0.063

0.012

0.082

0.001

0.0001

0.803

0.515

0.741

0.188

0.242

0.388

4.155

7.1901

Galway

12.866

0.096

2.346

0.198

0.0060

11.887

14.935

14.152

0.531

5.295

4.767

1.158

68.2370

Kerry

6.074

0.624

2.839

0.051

0.0074

5.821

8.831

8.833

0.315

2.650

2.615

0.510

39.1704

Kildare

0.005

0.183

0.142

0.001

0.0005

4.251

2.210

3.392

0.995

1.191

1.783

7.756

21.9095

Kilkenny

0.556

0.758

0.274

0.021

0.0002

9.513

4.809

3.420

1.052

2.618

3.537

5.596

32.1542

Laois

0.451

0.580

0.155

0.009

0.0000

6.697

4.222

1.989

1.135

1.910

2.701

4.421

24.2710

Leitrim

3.816

0.000

0.814

0.031

0.0028

0.986

5.769

2.270

0.017

1.275

0.969

0.001

15.9508

Limerick

1.316

0.698

0.071

0.015

0.0002

8.551

5.188

0.838

0.476

2.659

2.890

0.288

22.9902

Longford

3.245

0.005

0.100

0.025

0.0005

3.105

4.248

1.023

0.269

1.541

1.353

0.128

15.0425

Louth

0.050

0.194

0.233

0.007

0.0001

2.443

1.131

1.479

0.652

0.542

1.045

5.404

13.1801

Mayo

11.221

0.006

3.363

0.080

0.0033

7.207

13.875

9.791

0.209

4.193

3.339

0.134

53.4213

Meath

0.184

0.502

0.082

0.006

0.0004

7.690

4.390

4.623

1.289

2.290

3.188

8.891

33.1354

Monaghan

2.546

0.473

0.109

0.031

0.0016

4.848

4.257

0.822

0.801

1.618

2.151

0.179

17.8366

Offaly

0.501

0.996

0.230

0.015

0.0001

5.103

3.802

2.727

0.762

1.833

2.218

3.145

21.3331

Roscommon

6.219

0.001

0.605

0.057

0.0013

5.903

8.168

5.083

0.348

2.981

2.510

0.123

31.9993

Sligo

4.498

0.000

0.792

0.046

0.0016

2.511

5.942

2.836

0.081

1.693

1.348

0.042

19.7906

Tipperary

1.673

1.902

0.398

0.057

0.0005

16.634

9.547

5.006

1.514

4.919

5.901

6.674

54.2255

Waterford

0.458

0.549

0.314

0.011

0.0002

6.241

3.616

2.375

0.464

1.631

2.156

2.814

20.6292

Westmeath

0.287

1.263

0.177

0.014

0.0002

5.164

4.283

2.413

0.499

2.013

1.981

1.310

19.4042

Wexford

0.099

0.692

0.536

0.009

0.0015

7.036

4.249

7.817

0.886

1.407

2.919

13.053

38.7045

Wicklow

0.950

0.404

1.904

0.017

0.0003

1.667

3.380

6.966

0.324

1.013

1.305

3.450

21.3803

Total

81.385

11.444

22.388

0.947

0.0455

167.746

157.085

113.025

16.777

60.295

69.129

87.942

788.2085
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