Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The matter arose out of a €500 million package. Some €150 million in supply control measures has been applied for by 4,000 farmers. It is an optional element for them. The balance - the €11 million that has been allocated to Ireland - is a fund that is not specifically targeted at the dairy sector. Rather, it is available to the wider agricultural community. Unlike the previous package, which was targeted at the dairy and pigmeat sectors with a provision for a top-up for young farmers, this fund is available across the broader community with the specific exclusion, interestingly enough in light of the current difficulties, of the tillage sector. We are exploring ways to use the fund. Given the number of farmers who would be entitled to a slice of it if we went down the same road as the previous package, which was targeted more towards the dairy sector, the fund would be spread too thinly to have any effect. We are considering ways and means of delivering a better outcome for the sector generally. Obviously, a part of that work will be contingent on achieving matching funds. In the documentation, the Commission has clearly identified that this fund is not ring-fenced for dairy.