Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 545: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he will allocate the additional moneys to lowland sheep farmers, which has arisen from a surplus on the CAP budget, and which other countries have already allocated to their sheep farmers in order to ensure their continued viability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17966/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Under the final agreement on the Health Check of the CAP, Ireland will have access to additional funds of the order of €25 million annually from unspent CAP funds from 2010. In accordance with the requirements of the regulation these funds can be used to address specific economic disadvantages affecting farmers in the dairy, beef and veal, sheep and goat and rice sectors. My main priority in allocating these funds is to ensure that they are used in the most efficient and effective manner for the development of Irish agriculture.

Having consulted widely with all stakeholders I am currently carefully examining all proposals received including those for the sheep sector and I hope to make an announcement in relation to the use of these funds in the coming weeks once the Commission has adopted its detailed rules. As regards the sheep sector you will be aware that I have already announced that unused funds available in 2009 from the Single Farm Payment National Reserve will be paid to hill sheep farmers as a once off payment in 2009 only in the form of an Uplands Sheep Payment. This payment will benefit approximately 14,000 hill sheep farmers.