Vol. 491 No. 4
63 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will have arrangements made to pay compensation to the potato growers in north County Dublin who have lost some or all of their potato crops due to the heavy frost in April 1998. [12479/98]
The scheme of assistance for weather related crop losses introduced last year was a special once-off measure. I have no funds to compensate potato growers whose crops have been damaged by the heavy frosts in April of this year. Weather conditions leading to various levels of crop losses are a normal feature of farming and frost damage is a particular risk for growers engaged in early potato production.
