Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 544: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the funding which farmers here have received through her Department from Europe in each of the past ten years; if she is satisfied that funding will be maintained until at least 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22191/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Total EU receipts from the EAGGF guarantee fund for direct payments and accompanying measures, and from the EAGGF guidance fund for rural development schemes involving payments to farmers, in respect of the period 1995 to 2004 were as follows:

These figures are available in the Compendium of Irish Agricultural Statistics 2004, which is on my Department's website. I should point out that they exclude market supports such as intervention and export refunds, and Leader and food sub-programme funding, which are available to the agribusiness sector.

Funding for the Common Agricultural Policy and rural development are provided under the EU's multi-annual financial perspective. The current financial perspective applies until 2006 and I am satisfied it provides for the continuation of current measures and programmes to that date.

Funding for the CAP and rural development for the period 2007 to 2013 will be decided in the context of the overall decision on the next financial perspective. Proposals were presented by the Commission in February 2004 but the European Council has not yet reached a decision. My priority is to ensure that adequate funding is provided to ensure the continuation of the CAP and an effective rural development policy.