asked the Minister for Agriculture whether national agricultural development schemes have been successful as policy instruments in the development of mountainous areas such as Connemara and if he will draw up a more effective scheme under EEC Directive (75/268/EEC) for the development of such mountainous areas.
Written Answers. - Agricultural Development Schemes.
55.
The payment of headage grants to qualifying farmers for maintaining cattle and sheep represents a considerable boost to farmers' incomes in disadvantaged areas such as Connemara. Payments to farmers in this country under the 1986 headage schemes will be close on £60 million.
Government policy aims at ensuring the further development of farming in Connemara and in the other areas that suffer from severe problems due to poor soils and adverse climate. This involves much more than the provision of headage payments; in particular the benefits under the western package provide considerable opportunities for the development of small farms throughout the west.
I hope that the substantial opportunities under existing policies will be more fully exploited by farmers so that greater incomes can be derived from increased production, including more livestock qualifying for headage payments.
56.
asked the Minister for Agriculture if he envisages that the assessment of An Foras Talúntais of the pilot scheme for the aerial spreading of fertiliser in Connemara under the hill land improvement scheme will be completed in time for the scheme this year.
It is understood from An Foras Talúntais that it will take some time yet to arrive at a conclusion as to the benefits to be derived from the work referred to. It is unlikely that sufficient information will be available to enable consideration to be given to applications for work of a similar nature in the current year.