asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is satisfied with the administration of the feed scheme; and whether it should have been implemented by his Department's local offices.
Written Answers. - Feed Voucher Scheme.
15.
The feed voucher scheme was introduced as an emergency measure to alleviate the problem of winter fodder shortages on farms arising from the adverse weather conditions during the summer of 1985. The scheme was administered at local level through the Department's farm development service offices. Some 90,000 applications were received by the end of November 1985 and feed vouchers were issued to about 80,000 eligible applicants in the third week of January. I am satisfied at the manner in which the scheme was administered.