Michael Creed
Question:124 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive a headage payment. [25771/01]
Written Answers. - Grant Payments.
Payment due to the person named under the 2001 area based compensatory allowance scheme will issue before the end of October 2001.
Michael Creed
Question:125 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will be paid an installation aid grant. [25772/01]
There is no record of any application for installation aid from the person concerned.
Michael Ring
Question:126 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive an area based payment. [25837/01]
The 2001 area aid application for the person named has now been processed and an area of 27.48 hectares determined for payment purposes. Payment now due to the person named under the 2001 area-based compensatory allowance scheme will issue before the end of October 2001.
Michael Finucane
Question:127 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason a person (details supplied) in County Limerick has received an area aid payment based on mountain land; and if a revised amount will be paid to this person. [25847/01]
In 1997, a review of mountain type grazing lands for sheep headage purposes in the more severely handicapped areas and the less severely handicapped areas was carried out by my Department. All land classified as mountain type grazing was subsequently identified as such on the land parcel identification system. This designation as mountain type grazing suited most farmers, especially those engaged in sheep production, allowing them to be paid headage grants on mountain-type ewes. However, in designating the areas concerned on the land parcel identification system, regard had to be had to certain natural boundaries such as rivers and roads and it was not possible to exclude certain farms where sheep production did not take place.
The new area based compensatory allowance scheme agreed in July 2000 and approved by the European Commission in the context of the CAP rural development plan provides for area related payments as follows; more severely handicapped, lowland, £70 per hectare up to 45 hectares; less severely handicapped, lowland, £60 per hectare up to 45 hectares; and mountain-type land £45 per hectare up to 60 hectares.
The person named was paid £1,638.50 on 24 October 2001 in respect of 36.41 hectares of mountain type land at £45 per hectare. This compares with his average headage payment of £1,415.00 over the years 1998, 1999 and 2000.
Following a thorough review of the area-based compensatory allowance scheme, proposals have now been submitted to the European Com mission for increased payment rates for farmers with mountain-type land. The proposal involves making a payment of £80 per hectare on the first 10 hectares of mountain-type land with a payment of £70 per hectare on each remaining hectare subject to an overall payment ceiling of 45 hectares. Subject to securing the necessary EU approval it is intended that the revised payment rates will take effect in the current year.