Vol. 515 No. 5
37 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands if EU approval has issued on the operation of the cull ewe scheme; if farmers will have to repay to her Department the moneys they received under this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5057/00]
I presume that the Deputy is referring to the payments which were made by my Department in December 1999 to compensate hill sheep farmers for any losses incurred in 1999 as a result of destocking by 30% at the end of 1998, in accordance with the interim national commonage framework plan.
My Department has prepared a general scheme for compensating farmers and other land owners for losses experienced in areas designated for conservation, including commonages. Approval for the scheme, in the context of State aids, has been sought from the EU Commission. Consultations with the Commission are continuing with a view to concluding them successfully as soon as possible.
Because farmers implementing the interim national commonage framework plan had experienced losses of income in 1999, it was necessary to give priority to compensating them before the end of the year, in advance of implementation of the general scheme.
I am pleased to report that, with the co-operation of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, more than 3,400 farmers received from my Department the payments to which they were entitled at the time of the year when they were most needed. Payments made under the scheme were Exchequer funded and not part of an EU scheme.
