Ms Maria Dunne:

The BAR funding has to be drawn down by the end of the year, so it is not possible to do that under BAR. How and ever, when we looked at the situation in the sheep sector, it was dealt with within the normal budgetary cycle. The sector was allocated one-off funding of €15 million for 2024. Officials are currently considering the precise form of the measures by which the increased Exchequer funding can best be directed to sheep farmers in 2024. We will have a scheme for sheep farmers in 2024 of €15 million.