Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I recognise that of the various CAP schemes introduced this year, the sheep improvement scheme received a smaller increase than other schemes. We increased the payment from €10 per ewe to €12 per ewe. It is plugged in and guaranteed for the full next five years. The outgoing sheep improvement scheme was an annual scheme running from budget to budget and paid from out of the national Exchequer only. Going back to the previous CAP in 2014, there was no sheep scheme plugged into that. We have now plugged this in and the scheme will be in place for the next five years. If, in the budgetary negotiation every year, I can find mechanisms to improve on that, it is my objective and priority to do so. This is a starting point but the payment under the sheep improvement scheme has increased by €2 or 20%. On the other structures, particularly in Pillar 1 and ACRES, the sheep sector is the sector which, in the round, will have benefited most from the changes in the new CAP beginning this year. I recognise the objective of trying to do more. We always want to do more and we will seek improvements as time goes on.

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