Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 12 Nov 1998

Vol. 496 No. 5

Written Answers. - Ewe Slaughter Scheme.

Pádraic McCormack

Ceist:

15 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if the slaughter subsidy will be paid directly to the farmers under the recently announced ewe slaughter scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22478/98]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

In conjunction with my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, I announced, earlier this week, that interim arrangements had been agreed between our respective Departments to put a national framework plan in place for commonages in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Galway and Kerry. This interim plan is being put in place, pending the completion of individual commonage framework plans, and will incorporate the main environmental measures in the agri-environmental programme already agreed with the EU Commission. Under the national interim plan ewe premium quota rights in all of the commonages concerned will now be reduced by 30 per cent from 1998 levels.

As a consequence of this measure, the farmers concerned will be able to apply for the new rural environmental protection scheme, REPS, which provides for an annual payment of £80 per acre on the first 100 acres, £8 per acre on the next 100 acres and £6 per acre on the next 100 acres. These enhanced payments will be available to any farmer in the areas concerned wishing to join REPS and, indeed, to farmers already participating in REPS in those areas. The average payment for an existing REPS participant with 80 acres in the areas concerned will increase from £4,960 to £6,400 annually. The maximum payable will increase from £6,200 to £9,400 annually.

An alternative compensation scheme will be made available by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands for farmers who do not wish to join REPS.

Application forms for the new REPS measure may be obtained from my Department's local offices, where copies of the revised scheme document and specification will be available shortly.

All sheep farmers with mountain ewes who declared commonage land in the counties concerned on their 1998 area aid application have been identified and are now being written to by my Department. They are now required to reduce their mountain ewe numbers by at least 30 per cent of their 1998 quota. Arrangements have been made with the meat export slaughter plants to dispose of the ewes concerned between now and 4 December at no cost to the farmer. The 1999 ewe premium entitlement of the farmers concerned will be limited to 70 per cent of their 1998 quota and 1999 sheep headage entitlement will be limited to 70 per cent of 1998 entitlement.

The farmers concerned are already entitled to a payment of up to £300 under the winter fodder scheme for farmers with mountain breeding ewes. In order to assist sheep farmers who are subject to the 30 per cent reduction in quota, I am now making arrangements to pay an additional £10 per ewe on the 70 per cent balance of their quota. It is expected that all of these payments will be made during December.