Vol. 426 No. 7
17 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he intends to take the grant for pollution out of suspension where it is has been for over 12 months, since many small farmers cannot afford to do the necessary building work without aid.
The position is that the EC Structural Funds allocated to Ireland under the Operational Programme for the Control of Farmyard Pollution have been fully committed. Consequently, it has not been possible for some time to deal with any further applications under this measure.
However, grant aid for pollution control works continues to be available under the Farm Improvement Programme and over 7,000 schemes of work have been approved under this programme in the past 12 months.
Grant payments to farmers with current approval under the Operational Programme for the Control of Farmyard Pollution of course continue to be paid subject to the approved works being completed to the satisfaction of the Department within the prescribed time. I am continuing to monitor the level of work completion under this measure and it may be possible to re-open the present scheme in the coming months.
I am aware of the importance of the Control of Farmyard Pollution scheme. For this reason, I will be seeking to ensure maximum support for continuation of this measure in the context of Ireland's submission to the EC for a new allocation of Structural Funds.
