Vol. 523 No. 4
80 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development when the new dairy hygiene grant aid scheme will be available to applicants; and if he will give details of the way in which applications will be processed. [21085/00]
Under the National Development Plan, 2000-2006, provision is made for a new scheme for the improvement of dairy hygiene standards.
This on-farm investment measure will form part of the new regional operational programmes for the border, midland and western region and the southern and eastern region.
The operational programmes have been submitted to the European Commission whose formal approval is awaited. Operational programme complements, which contain the specific details of measures, must also be approved by the monitoring committees at present being set up by the two regional authorities for each region. This process will take a number of weeks. My Department is taking the necessary steps to ensure that those measures falling within my Department's remit will be operational and open to farmer application as soon as possible following approval.
It is expected that applications under the new scheme will be processed by the local offices of my Department in a similar manner to that which applies under the current national scheme for the improvement of dairy hygiene standards.
