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

I thank the Deputies for their supplementary questions on this matter. I acknowledge that there is a concentration of these enterprises in Cork and Tipperary and it is understandable that the Deputies here would be raising this matter. Storm Ophelia delivered losses to a whole range of producers, not just producers in the nursery sector. There has not been a scheme of compensation for any sector, whether one is talking about farmers who lost crops, dairy farmers who lost milk or the nursery sector.

There is a grant scheme and I would encourage the sector to engage with my Department's officials on this. It is a good scheme and one that has been availed of previously. It will not deal with crop loss, in terms of stock, but there is sufficient latitude within the scheme to cover some of the associated costs of the storm, in respect of ancillary supports, production facilities and so on which may be covered. I would advise each of those enterprises to explore, through contact with departmental officials, how they may be in a position to benefit from the scheme.

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