Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Question 75: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if young farmers' installation aid or early retirement scheme applications received after 14 October 2008 have been processed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4998/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Young Farmers' Installation Scheme and the Early Retirement Scheme were suspended for new applications on 14 October 2008 due to budgetary constraints. Applications for these schemes received in my Department since 14 October 2008 have not been processed.

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 76: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce measures to support the sheep sector; his views on introducing a ewe payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4980/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The sheep sector already benefits significantly from the main schemes operated by my Department. Sheep farmers receive an estimated annual:

€126 million from the Single Farm Payment,

€60 million under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and

€84 million under REPS.

In addition to this support and following the Sheep Strategy Report, a number of other measures have also been put in place to further assist the sector.

Additional support to the sheep sector is being considered in light of the outcome of the recent CAP Health Check. One of my primary objectives in the Health check negotiations was to get access to unspent funds within the EU's agriculture budget for use by Member States with a wide range of discretion. This was achieved in the final deal and, as a result, Ireland will receive additional funds amounting to approximately €7m in 2009 (from the national reserve) and €29m in subsequent years.

I am currently considering how these funds can best be used to develop Irish agriculture within the terms laid down in the EU regulations. As part of this process I asked for and received submissions from four farm organisations. The proposals made include a top-up to the SFP for sheep farmers, a hogget ewe premium, a sheep maintenance payment for all ewes, and a dairy income support scheme linked to milk quota volume.

Some of these proposals are linked to suggestions for the use of €120m additional modulation funds, also arising from the Health Check, on which a separate consultation process is underway, and to which different EU rules apply. The closing date for these submissions is 16 February, and therefore it is not yet possible to indicate the range of proposals in this case.

All submissions received will be examined carefully, and will be a useful input to the decisions on these matters, which I expect to announce in the near future.