Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 126: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the grant aid which will be made available to small farmers to manage rainwater under the nitrates action plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32771/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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A revised Farm Waste Management Scheme was launched by my Department on 24 March 2006 as part of the arrangements to enable farmers meet the additional requirements of the Nitrates Directive. The principal changes to the Scheme include—

(a) an increase in the standard grant-rate from 40% to 60%, with 70% being available in the four Zone C counties;

(b) an extension of the Scheme for the first time to sectors such as horses, deer, goats, pigs and poultry, and mushroom compost;

(c) the removal of any minimum income requirements from farming from the Scheme so that all small farmers can participate in the Scheme; and

(d) 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 my Department as soon as any required planning permission has been applied for to the relevant local authority.

As regards rainwater, the technical specifications for farm buildings operated by my Department for the purposes of the Scheme require the installation of adequate arrangements for the separation of clean and dirty water as part of the conditions of any new investment. In addition, I have added the installation of guttering on existing buildings as a further new eligible item in the terms of the revised Scheme.