Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 63: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the way in which she expects the new scheme of investment aid for waste management to proceed; and the advice she has for farmers endeavouring to apply for aid. [12174/06]

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 98: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has satisfied herself with the allocation of funding available to meet the farm waste management grant scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12029/06]

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Question 100: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food when the new grant scheme will be available for farm waste management; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12028/06]

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will honour fully the commitment to increase the standard costings for suitably qualified young farmers who qualify for a top-up as agreed in the charter of rights for farmers. [12173/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 63, 98, 100 and 112 together.

Following receipt of the required EU approval, the revised farm waste management scheme was launched by my Department on 24 March 2006. Application forms, together with the accompanying terms and conditions, are available from the local agricultural environment and structures, AES, offices of my Department and are also available on my Department's website. The principal changes to the scheme include — an increase in the standard grant-rate from 40% to 60%, with 70% being available in the four zone C counties; an extension of the scheme for the first time to sectors such as horses, deer, goats, pigs and poultry, and mushroom compost; the removal of any minimum income requirements from farming from the scheme; and an increase in the maximum eligible investment from €75,000 to €120,000 per holding.

As the scheme closes for applications at the end of 2006, I have also arranged that applications will be accepted by Department as soon as any required planning permission has been applied for to the relevant local authority. I urge farmers to make use of this opportunity to participate in the scheme by ensuring that their application forms are received in good time.

Some €43 million is available in this year's Estimates for the scheme and I am satisfied that sufficient funding will be made available for the duration of the scheme to finance the likely demand. The standard costings for the scheme are currently under review and the commitments contained in the revised charter of rights for farmers will be fully adhered to.