Vol. 470 No. 4
282 Mr. Cowen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he will commence payments under the special beef premium and suckler cow premium schemes in view of the fact that the EU Commission has agreed to allow member states bring forward the 1996 advance payments from 1 November 1996 to 1 October 1996; the date on which payments will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18998/96]
Under EU regulations advance payments under the EU special beef premium scheme and the EU suckler cow premium scheme are not normally payable until 1 November each year. These regulations were amended last year to allow advance payments under the 1995 special beef premium scheme to commence on 16 October 1995. Ireland commenced payments on that date. This year, for budgetary reasons, the EU has again amended the regulations to allow commencement of advances, at 80 per cent of entitlement, on 1 October 1996 under both the 1996 EU suckler cow premium scheme and the EU special beef premium scheme.
My Department has over recent weeks been concentrating on making payments to beef farmers under the special package of measures introduced to compensate farmers for loss of income as a result of the BSE problem. This entailed making almost 200,000 payments valued at close to £70 million by the final payment date of 15 October 1996. In addition, payments under the 1996 cattle headage and sheep headage schemes commenced on 26 September last and to date £37.892 million has been paid. Payments under those particular schemes are continuing. Given the additional logistical problems this year, associated with making payments under the special BSE compensation package, my Department will not be in a position to commence advance payments under the 1996 special beef premium and suckler cow premium schemes until 1 November 1996.
I would also like to point out that in the period since 1 January 1996 to date some £326.046 million has been paid to Ireland's beef farmers under the various EU bovine headage and premia schemes. In addition, payments totalling £98.472 million have been made to Ireland's sheep farmers in the same period under the EU ewe premium scheme and the EU sheep headage scheme.
