Vol. 536 No. 3
82 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if he has received a copy of the Combat Poverty Agency's report on low income farm households; if, in the context of this publication, he will consider a restructuring of direct payments to ensure the benefits are targeted at those on the lowest incomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14064/01]
I was pleased to launch this report at the National Ploughing Championships in September 2000.
Since the report was published my Department commissioned ESRI to produce more up to date figures on poverty in farm, rural non-farm and urban households. Details of the results of this research were published recently in the Department's annual review and outlook for 2000-01. They show that farm households have a lower risk of poverty than rural non-farm and urban households for almost all of the measures of relative and consistent poverty which are normally used. The core national poverty target is stated in terms of consistent poverty at the 60% relative income line. On this measure, farmers have a 4.8% risk of poverty compared with 8.1% for non-farm rural households and 8.2% for urban households.
In relation to considering the restructuring of direct payments in light of the report's findings, the premia in the cattle and sheep sectors are agreed at EU level and are designed to compensate producers for low prices and I believe are suitable to the farming structure in this country. It is not open to me to restructure them in the fashion suggested.
