The new Grassland Sheep Scheme, which has a total budget of €54 million, will operate for three years: 2010, 2011 and 2012. This funding, which comes from the unused Single Payment funds, will provide a very important and timely boost to support incomes in the sheep sector over the next three years .
The Scheme has been kept administratively simple, which will facilitate the Department in making payments very shortly after the commencement date of 1 December 2010 (the commencement date for making payments under this Scheme in accordance with the provisions of the relevant EU Regulations). Farmers will find participating in the Scheme relatively easy, the three requirements being to:
maintain ewes;
complete the Sheep Census return and submit it by the deadline set by my Department; and
submit the SPS application form by the closing date of 17th May 2010.
I can confirm that all breeding ewes over twelve months of age, including ewe hoggets at the time of the December 2009 Census and returned as breeding ewes in the Census Form will be eligible for use in the calculation of the area of grassland benefitting from payment. Any female hoggets that were not eligible for inclusion as breeding ewes in the December 2009 Census will be eligible for inclusion in the 2011 Scheme provided that they are included in the December 2010 Census Form.