Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:49 Mr. Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the position regarding changes to the farm retirement schemes. [40265/06]
View answerWednesday, 29 November 2006
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Written answers
Payments are currently being made under two Schemes of Early Retirement from Farming. I recently announced substantial increases in the maximum pension rates payable under both Schemes to take effect from 1 November 2006. I have decided to increase the maximum pension rate payable under the 1994–99 Scheme from €12,075 to €14,075 and the maximum pension rate payable under the current Scheme from €13,515 to €15,000. These increases will cost some €33 million extra over the remaining period of the two Schemes, and over 5,000 retired farmers will benefit from them.
The announcement of these increases follows an announcement in September of an increase in the off-farm income limit for transferees under the current Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming from €25,400 to €40,000 and the removal of the total income limit for retiring farmers. Heretofore, an income limit exemption for retiring farmers existed only in cases where the farm was transferred definitively to a family member. These changes were effective from 1 September, 2006.
The current Scheme closes to new applications on 31 December 2006. Proposals for a new Scheme, with a maximum payment rate of €15,000, have been included in the draft Rural Development Plan for the period 2007-2013 which was recently published for consultation.
Question No. 50 answered with QuestionNo. 39.
Question No. 51 answered with QuestionNo. 46.