Results 2,881-2,900 of 18,450 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: During the summer I was told payments under the scheme would cease. At that time we had spent €150 million. The Department put in another €32 million, a further €195 million of a Supplementary Estimate, which was regarded as an exceptional item of expenditure, and a further €30 million before the end of the year. We brought the payments practically up to date by the end of the...

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: During December more than 14,000 claims came in. We were told by plenty of people in this House that work would not be done and claims would not be made. We stated very clearly that payments would be honoured. The suckler cow scheme is a new stream of income that was paid out for the first time during December. Some €33 million was paid out before the end of the year and another €12...

Farm Waste Management. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Deputy Creed brought up the supplementary measures. Some €313 million was also paid out during 2008 under REPS. All these commitments will be honoured.

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I expect to be able shortly to confirm the position regarding payments under the suckler welfare scheme. More than 53,000 farmers applied for the scheme in 2008 and the estimated cost, at a rate of €80 per cow, will be some €77 million for 2008. By the end of 2008, €33 million was spent on the scheme. A further €44 million has been provided in my Department's Estimate for 2009 to...

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: This scheme was introduced with funding of €250 million to be provided over five years. In the first year of applications there was a very large take up and the total cost of the 2008 scheme amounts to €77 million. A sum of €33 million was provided in the Estimates for 2008 and this scheme, by its nature, is claimed for only towards the end of the year with calves weaning. Some €33...

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: This scheme was introduced last year——

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I indicated that the €250 million provided for the scheme was not €80 per animal. It was introduced at the beginning on the basis that there would be €250 million over five years. The intention is to honour that scheme.

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: As Deputy Doyle rightly said, the number of applications was almost 54,000 and the number of beef breed calves born in the scheme last year was 974,000. The funding paid out under the 2008 scheme during the calendar year 2008 was €33 million and €44 million is provided in the 2009 Estimate to pay the remainder of the 2008 scheme. Many of the applications would come in only at the end of...

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: I very much doubt that because the demand on the scheme will be sufficient to draw down the funding available.

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: On the suckler cow scheme?

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: We dealt with the REPS payments. I do not know if the Deputy was in at the time.

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The suckler cow payments are processed from the Portlaoise office of the Department and I am not aware of people awaiting payments. In many instances the Department has been back to individual farmers clarifying aspects of the applications that were deficient, or whatever. The payments are issuing rapidly. If there is a query about a particular applicant we will check it out.

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The agreed rates of additional modulation will generate approximately €120 million in total over the four years from 2009-2012 in transfers from the single farm payment to rural development. These additional funds will stay in Ireland and be passed back to Irish farmers under the rural development programme. As such, the additional modulation represents a redistribution of money from the...

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: In line with the new regulations the funds must be used for measures to address the so-called "new challenges" of climate change, water management, bio-energy and biodiversity, dairy restructuring and innovation. The consultation process as to how these funds can best be used for the development of Irish agriculture is currently under way. It is also worth noting that more than 50,000 Irish...

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: With the existing modulation arrangements, the amount collected annually is €42.5 million. That modulation is in place up to 5%. With the new rates that will be applicable there will be an increase in modulation rate of 2% this year and 1% in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The additional funding that will be generated for the modulated fund will be €17 million this year, €25 million in 2010,...

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Up to now the modulated funds that were available, which were fairly small, went into the overall rural development programme. The Exchequer puts a substantial amount more into the rural development programme than the necessary requirement, because it is co-funded by the European Union. Deputy Doyle's point is correct in that there was an effort in the past to ensure the modulated funds...

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The funding will remain in schemes operated by the Department, not outside bodies. For argument's sake, we could have a top-up in REPS which would consist of an extra measure, but the money will not go to agencies, projects or programmes that are outside the farm gate.

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Dairy farmers' incomes comprise the market price paid for milk and direct income support from the EU. Market forces have a significant and increasing influence on the price paid for milk. World market prices determine the returns received by dairy processors and these in turn are reflected in the price paid to farmers. In essence, farm gate prices normally reflect the returns from dairy...

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: With regard to dairy prices, as Deputy Collins knows and as I mentioned in my earlier comments, the dairy market has been volatile and things are difficult for producers and processors at present. We had good prices in 2007 but difficulties arose in 2008 due to the extra supply coming from New Zealand, turbulence in the global financial market and the lack of demand worldwide. New Zealand,...

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Deputy Creed is right. The market mechanism measures can take product off the market, thus giving it a boost. During the course of the health check, many countries argued that such measures should be much restricted and that the Commission should decide when they were invoked. We argued strongly for the need for the private storage system, the intervention system and the export refunds....