Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 305: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason the farm improvement scheme has been abolished after such a short period in view of the fact that the scheme enabled farmers to achieve competitiveness and meet very high environmental standards and the raft of new obligations and restrictions imposed on farmers by the Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28204/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The Farm Improvement Scheme was launched by my Department in July 2007 with a funding provision of €79 million as agreed under the partnership agreement, Towards 2016. On 31 October last, I announced that, as applications under the Scheme had reached this level of funding, the Scheme would close to new applications for now. The applications received under the Scheme will be processed up to the level of funding available and payments will, of course, issue to farmers under the Scheme as work which has been approved to commence is completed by farmers to the specifications required thereunder.