Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 23 Apr 1998

Vol. 490 No. 1

Written Answers - BSE Compensation.

Michael Ferris

Ceist:

31 Mr. Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason farmers, who are due payments under the BSE compensation scheme and were advised by his Department that their applications had been approved and would be paid subject to the release of funds, have not yet been paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9432/98]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

The vast bulk of BSE payments outstanding at this stage are top-up payments to those farmers who had more animals qualifying for suckler cow and special beef premium in 1996 than they had in 1995. The position is that the EU regulations governing payment of BSE top-ups, which were paid in October 1996, provided for top-up payments in respect of animals qualifying for the 1995 suckler cow premium and special beef premium. The EU insisted that the top-up payments should be based on the 1995 schemes in order that the payments could be made as early as possible and certainly before the EU financial year deadline of 15 October 1996. The regulations also provided for appropriate adjustments later on to take account of the number of animals qualifying for the suckler cow and special beef premium in 1996. Money was to be recouped from those farmers who were overpaid compensation on the grounds that they had fewer animals qualifying for the premium in 1996 than they had in 1995. Money so recouped was to form a pool of money from which further top-up payments are to be made to those farmers who had more animals qualifying for premium in 1996 than they had in 1995.

My Department has been in the process of recovering overpayments from those farmers in the former category and this pool of money is to be used to make the outstanding payments to farmers in the latter category. Obviously, it is important that as much money as possible can be recovered before striking a rate for payment of additional top-ups. It is expected that payments of the outstanding amounts due will be made in June 1998.

Additionally, a small number of beef producers are due BSE compensation payments arising from the package of measures worth some £30.54 million to beef producers and which was to be paid by the EU deadline of 15 October 1997. By that deadline a small number of producers had failed to establish eligibility and the majority have since been paid from Exchequer funds. At this stage only residual cases with queries outstanding remain to be paid.