Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 353: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if a person (details provided) in County Cork will have their REP scheme grant paid shortly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17403/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The person named submitted a REPS 4 plan in December 2007. If it is a valid application, he will start his REPS 4 contract from 1 January 2008 and will receive 75% of his 2008 full year's REPS payment when all administrative checks for REPS and the 2008 Single Payment Scheme are completed. In practice, this will be in early autumn. The remaining 25% payment will go out when the last of the year's REPS on-farm inspections has taken place. This means that these payments will be processed in December.

To be eligible for his REPS payment in 2008, the person named must also submit his 2008 Single Payment application by 15 May 2008.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 354: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has proposals to introduce a grant scheme for machinery used for harvesting bio-energy crops; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17405/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I have no plans at present to introduce a Scheme to aid the purchase of harvesting machinery for bioenergy crops. In 2007, I introduced a new Bioenergy Scheme offering establishment grants of up to €1,450 per hectare to farmers to plant willow and miscanthus. Some 800 hectares were grant aided in 2007. One of the main advantages of these crops is that harvesting operations can be carried out with conventional farm machinery. Miscanthus, for example can be harvested using traditional harvest machinery including mowers, balers and forage harvesters. Willow can be harvested by adapting conventional farm harvesting machinery such as forage harvesters. Specialised machinery to harvest willow is also available and in use.

The Department has published Best Practice guidelines for growing willow and miscanthus under the Bioenergy Scheme. Among other items, the guide provides advice to growers on planting and harvesting operations to maximise crop yield and improve the economic viability of the crop. Teagasc recently published a new Farm Diversification Manual, which provides detailed technical advice to farmers on the cultivation of energy crops including willow and miscanthus.

Areas planted with bioenergy crops qualify for the Single Farm Payment, the National Energy Crop Premium of €80 per hectare and the EU Premium of €45 per hectare under the EU Energy Crops Scheme. The second phase of the Bioenergy Scheme commenced in December 2007 and to date applications to plant a further 1,400 hectares of willow and miscanthus have been submitted.