asked the Minister for Agriculture the value in sterling of the cattle headage subsidy in each of the EEC countries; and if there are any proposals to increase the Irish headage subsidy.
Written Answers. - Cattle Headage Subsidy.
287.
From the information presently available, the approximate sterling equivalents—at current exchange rates—of the amounts of compensatory allowance payable on cattle in each member state under the EEC Disadvantaged Areas Directive are as follows:
Germany: £22-£44 per livestock unit depending on region, degree of handicap and type of farming. Compensatory allowance is payable in only about one-third of disadvantaged areas in Germany.
Belgium: £31.50 per livestock unit on the first ten livestock units and £23.50 per livestock unit on the next ten.
France: £21 per livestock unit subject to a maximum of 40 livestock units. Compensatory allowance is payable only in approximately one-third of the disadvantaged areas in France.
Luxembourg: £19.50 per livestock unit subject to a maximum of 50 live-stock units.
United Kingdom: £29 per livestock unit—applies to hill cows and in-calf heifers only.
Netherlands and Italy: The information is not available to me.
Denmark: Compensatory allowance is not payable on cattle.
Ireland: £16 per livestock unit on the first eight livestock units of cattle and £11 per livestock unit on the next 22 in the more severely handicapped areas of the western region; £16 a head on the first ten beef cows and £11 a head on the next 18 in less disadvantaged areas of the western region.
Proposals regarding rates of cattle headage payments in this country for the current year are under consideration and an announcement will be made in due course.