Farm Retirement Scheme.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 March 2007

Thursday, 8 March 2007

Ceisteanna (253)

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

254 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the number of applicants who have opted for the farm retirement scheme in each of the past 10 years to date in 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9356/07]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture and Food (Mary Coughlan)

Payments are currently being made under two Schemes of Early Retirement from Farming. Details of the number of participants who began to receive payments under the 1994 Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming, which closed to new applications on 31 December 1999 and the Early Retirement Scheme which was introduced in November 2000 and closed to new applications on 31 December 2006, are set out in a table for each of the years 1996 to 2007.

Year ended	First Scheme (1994-99)	Second Scheme (2000-06)
31 December 1996	1,795	N/A
31 December 1997	1,796	N/A
31 December 1998	1,305	N/A
31 December 1999	1,608	N/A
31 December 2000	N/A	41
31 December 2001	N/A	805
31 December 2002	N/A	809
31 December 2003	N/A	528
31 December 2004	N/A	307
31 December 2005	N/A	296
31 December 2006	N/A	263
02 March 2007	N/A	62*

*Relates to applications received prior to 31 December 2006.