Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a genuine concern about ensuring that farmers on relatively small farms in very disadvantaged areas are provided with enough support to keep them on the land. That is the reason, in terms of the savings we must make in the disadvantage areas scheme, we have excluded mountainous farmers from any of those savings to ensure nobody farming in a mountainous area - that is 32,000 out of the 100,000 - will face any reduction in their incomes. Regarding the low land disadvantaged area farmers, instead of reducing the rate for everybody, we have reduced the eligible hectarage for people to again protect smaller farmers. In other words, instead of claiming the payment on 34 hectares as a maximum it will be claimed on 30 hectares as a maximum. I have tried to prioritise the most disadvantaged farmers, that is, the people on the mountains and the smaller farmers within the disadvantaged areas scheme, DAS, in lowland areas. A total of 73% of people in disadvantaged areas will be unaffected by the reductions and the remainder will see a reduction of an average of about 11% but those decisions were made to protect those with holdings and the most disadvantaged people within DAS areas. The same applies to the suckler scheme. Those who apply for the new suckler scheme in terms of the data transfer scheme will automatically get €20 per cow for the first 20 cows.

The average size of a suckler herd is 16 cows while the average size of a suckler herd in the suckler cow welfare scheme is 18 cows. We are trying to prioritise smaller farmers. If we have moneys left over after that, then we will give it to the farmers who have more than 20 cows. I believe there will be some money left over to give top-up payments to farmers with 30 to 40 suckler cows.

This was the third year of the three-year sheep grasslands scheme. We have decided to continue with the scheme, which will be paid for by unspent moneys under pillar 1. While we have reduced the cost of it from €18 million to €14 million, we have made up for that by introducing a discussion group, similar to the ones that have worked so well for the dairy sector, which will bring farmers together to discuss how they can improve their businesses and make more money in the marketplace. We will spend €3 million on these discussion groups next year. The total spend on the sheep sector next year will be more or less the same as this year's. I have worked hard to achieve this, as I see the sheep sector as a vulnerable area.

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