Ned O'Keeffe
Question:59 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position regarding an application under the farm retirement scheme by a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [14123/02]
Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.
The person named joined the scheme of early retirement from farming as a sole applicant on 1 October 1997. He was awarded the maximum pension allowable under the scheme of €12,075 per annum for the period to 30 September 2007.
For the purposes of entry to the scheme, the person named leased his lands to two eligible transferees. Both of these leases expired on 31 March 2002, in advance of which – on 26 February 2002 – my Department informed the person named of the need to have arrangements in place for the duration of the pension period, with these or other eligible transferees, in order to remain eligible under the scheme. A period of four months from the termination of the leases is allowed for him to make the necessary arrangements.