Vol. 486 No. 1
254 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources the current eligibility criteria, if any, applied to the forestry programme in relation to defining a farmer; and if he will give a breakdown between farmers and non-farmers in relation to grant aid received under the Operational Programme for Forestry for each of the years from 1993 to 1997. [1735/98]
Under the forest premium scheme a farmer is defined as a person who: practises farming within the State; owns, leases or is involved in joint management of at least three hectares of land; derives at least 25 per cent of total income from agriculture — income from land leasing for more than 11 months is not reckonable as agricultural income; and resides on a permanent basis within daily commuting distance of the forest plantation, i.e., a radius of 70 miles.
The details requested in relation to payments to farmers and non-farmers under the forestry programme are as follows:
|
Year |
Farmers |
Non-Farmers |
|
£m |
£m |
|
|
1993 |
5.0 |
8.6 |
|
1994 |
13.1 |
12.0 |
|
1995 |
23.2 |
11.2 |
|
1996 |
27.7 |
9.0 |
|
1997 |
22.4 |
5.1 |
