Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 223: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason he has abolished the farm retirement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37787/08]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Against the background of the deterioration in public finances, my approach in preparing the 2009 estimates for my Department was to focus available resources on the measures that allow us to maintain and grow the productive capacity of the agri-food sector. Because I had chosen to protect expenditure in certain areas, expenditure in other areas had to be curtailed. In relation to the Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming I have made provision of €47 million in 2009 to meet current commitments but, for the present, it has been necessary to suspend new applications for the Scheme.