Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2015
466. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of the areas of natural constraints scheme, if the cutbacks that applied since 2008 to it and to the disadvantaged areas scheme, which preceded it, were to be reversed, and if the level of payments under the scheme were to revert to the 2007 level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38177/15]
View answerFollowing the agreement of the new Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, an Area of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme was introduced. This scheme replaces the former Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and the Less Favoured Areas (LFA) Scheme. The ANC Scheme is worth €195 million annually to some 100,000 farmers and in excess of €1.3 billion over the life time of the Programme. The annual budget of €195 million is in line with previous years funding and is focused on those farmers who are most actively pursuing a farming activity and contributing to the economic life of the rural areas where they farm.
The total amount paid to applicants under the LFA Scheme in 2007 was €254,750,496. Since that time a number of changes to the scheme have been put in place. While it is difficult to be absolutely precise in this matter given the changes since 2007, it would be expected that, if payment levels were set again at 2007 levels, the annual value of the scheme in 2015 would be similar to the total amount paid in 2007.
Many changes occurred over the lifetime of the previous RDP which gave rise to the need to amend expenditure under certain schemes. However, in making changes to the LFA scheme, every effort was made to maintain the level of aid to those farmers who were actively pursuing a farming activity and were contributing to the economic life of the rural areas where they farm.
The rates of aid payable to farmers whose holdings are situated in these areas are in line with the difficulties that they have had to overcome in farming in the areas in question and were not subject to any reduction during the years cuts were required. The reductions in funding in previous years were achieved by reducing the maximum area payable from 45 to 34 hectares and some other technical changes. Therefore, the vast majority of farmers, who are actively farming and are participants in the Scheme, were not impacted in any way by the budgetary cuts.
