Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:179 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the current position in relation to the Kearney report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2449/97]
Written Answers. - Kearney Report.
Following consideration of the Kearney report, I put a number of proposals to the European Commission to provide for amendments to the headage schemes in 1997 and following years. The intention was that two of the proposals (i) implementing a ceiling of £3,000 on payments to individual farmers and (ii) reducing the higher rate of grant for Friesian cows and incalf heifers would come into effect in 1997 and the remaining two in 1998 — (iii) disallowing headage payments to farmers over 66 in receipt of a contributory retirement pension and (iv) paying headage to farmers in areas designated as degraded under the rural environment protection scheme (REPS) only if they were participating in REPS. As part of Partnership 2000, the Government and the farm organisations agreed that the proposal at (i) and (ii) would not come into effect until 1998 and that in the meantime negotiations would take place with a view to reaching agreement this year on equitable alternatives within the current level of OPARDF resources to the proposal at (i) The consequential costs involved — £4 million — as a result of postponing measures (i) and (ii) will be borne by the Exchequer.