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

My ambition is to have payments made in 2017 as per the commitment made in the programme for Government and, therefore, to conclude the negotiations with the Commission. In that respect, I appreciate that sometimes we await decisions from the Commission and that sometimes we have to finalise the paperwork. We have a broad outline of the scheme and are discussing the detail with the Commission. That process will continue, but I hope to get Commission approval in 2016 and be in a position to invite applications, if not late this year, certainly early in 2017 with a view making payments at the earliest possible date thereafter. What I am aiming to achieve with the scheme is that it will include a menu of options that will reflect the different management practices associated with either lowland or hill sheep farming and that, therefore, there will not be additional costs incurred by hill sheep as opposed to lowland sheep farmers in the suite of options available. The necessity for a top-up payment would not arise because there would be appropriate measures in place for hill and lowland sheep farmers.

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