Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 20 Nov 1996

Vol. 471 No. 7

Written Answers. - Headage Premia.

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

403 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry whether a proposal has been made to the EU or to the European Council of Agricultural Ministers that, as and from 1 January 1998, no headage payments for livestock will be payable to farmers over 66 years of age; his views on this proposal; the action, if any, he intends to take to ensure that age discrimination is not introduced into farming by the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21911/96]

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

404 Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry whether a decision has been taken by the EU that, as and from 1 January 1997, the maximum amount of headage premia payable to a farmer is to be reduced from £5,000 to £3,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21912/96]

Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry (Mr. Yates)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 403 and 404 together.

A formal commitment to have compensatory headage payments independently evaluated was entered into by my Department as part of the negotiations in 1994 on the Structural Funds leading up to the approval of the Operational Programme for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry. The Commission's attitude was that the funds allocated to this measure represented too high a percentage (62 per cent) of the overall allocation to the structural improvement and rural development element of the operational programme.

The consultants who carried out the evaluation came up with many recommendations. Following consultation with the farm bodies on the consultants' report, I have made a number of proposals to the European Commission to provide for amendments to the headage schemes in 1997 and following years.

No decision has yet been made by the Commission. I will, of course, announce the details as soon as Commission agreement has been obtained.