Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 July 2008
572 Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the position regarding the matter of recouping from Coillte Teoranta, circa €8 million of forestry premium grants awarded to it but subsequently excluded from community financing under the guarantee section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and subsequently confirmed by the European Court of Justice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28766/08]
View answerThe question of recoupment of forestry premium from Coillte is being considered within my Department in the context of Coillte's proposed strategy for the period 2008-2012.
573 Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the moneys paid to date under the REP scheme four mixed grazing supplementary measure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28841/08]
View answerThe mixed grazing supplementary measure is available to farmers joining REPS 4 and was approved by the European Commission on the basis of the environmental benefits accruing from following a mixed grazing regime. Any change to the measure would require further Commission approval and could only be justified on environmental grounds.
My Department has issued some €9,000 for the mixed grazing supplementary measure to farmers with REPS 4 contracts starting in 2007. For contracts starting in 2008, in accordance with EU Regulations, 75% of an applicant's REPS 4 payment, including supplementary measure payment, will be processed in the autumn when all administrative checks for REPS and the Single Payment Scheme are completed. The remaining 25% payment will be processed in December when the last of the year's REPS on-farm inspections has taken place. Some 11,600 applications for REPS 4 were received in my Department by the closing date of 15 May. These are currently being entered on my Department's computer systems and until this exercise is completed, it will not be possible to say how many applicants have opted for the mixed grazing supplementary measure and what the cost of this measure in respect of 2008 will be.
