Dan Neville
Ceist:72 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when it is planned to re-introduce the farm retirement scheme. [15995/00]
Written Answers. - Farm Retirement Scheme.
The Rural Development Plan 2000-2006, which contains proposals for a new scheme of early retirement from farming along with other measures, was submitted to the European Commission in December last and the Commission have six months from then to consider it. Formal negotiations on the plan with the Commission are now well under way, though it is not possible to indicate at this stage when the Commission will be in a position to approve it. When the plan is approved, my objective is to secure the earliest implementation of each measure including the new scheme of early retirement.