Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 5 Nov 2003

Vol. 573 No. 4

Written Answers. - Grant Payments.

Dinny McGinley

Ceist:

206 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will provide a list of grant aid to the poultry section in the past two years, with particular reference to the egg packaging sector; and if he will highlight guidelines on grant criteria. [25866/03]

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mr. Walsh)

My Department awarded a total of €1,260,342 in grant aid to the egg packing sector in the past two years under the marketing and processing scheme for certain agricultural products as follows:

Beneficiary	Award €
Annalitten Foods Limited	456,366
Mac Fresh Eggs Limited	756,342
Mulhern Brothers T/A West-a-wake Eggs	47,634
Total	1,260,342

Grant aid was made available towards the cost of providing new equipment for grading and packing of eggs and for modernisation or construction of packing premises. Projects which would increase production capacity were not eligible. The scheme applied to approved egg packing centres with an annual throughput of at least 20,000 cases. In general only investments exceeding €100,000 were considered for assistance.

It was a condition of the marketing and processing scheme that projects seeking financial assistance complied with the provisions of the Community guidelines for State aid in the agricultural sector. Conditions included: support would not be granted in contravention of any prohibitions or restrictions laid down in provisions of the EU common market organisation for agricultural products; support would only be granted for projects that demonstrated financial-market viability; enterprises seeking grant assistance must have been in compliance with minimum standards regarding the environment, hygiene and animal welfare; normal market outlets for the products concerned must exist; and investment must address sectoral priorities. Generally this demands emphasis on improved efficiencies and/or added value.

Project promoters were obliged to demonstrate that the project would make a positive contribution to one or more of the following: the environment, equality, poverty and rural development.