Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 March 2017
710. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if additional actions would be required by participants if current funding levels were increased over the amount that has been ringfenced over the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme for the sheep welfare scheme in order to increase payment rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11737/17]
View answerThe new Sheep Welfare Scheme is part of Ireland's Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and provides for funding of €25million per annum for eligible sheep farmers to undertake actions which contribute to the welfare of the national flock.
The scheme provides support of €10 per ewe to farmers with flocks of breeding ewes. Applicants are required to undertake two actions in each year of the scheme, with actions to be chosen from a menu of actions linked to lowland and hill type flocks.
Under the Rural Development Programme payments across schemes are made in recognition of income foregone and costs incurred in undertaking the agreed actions and the payments are agreed with the EU Commission on the basis of costings on this basis. Thus, any changes to payment levels would be linked to the actions required under the scheme.
