Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 35: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the 5,000 farmers excluded from the farm improvement scheme in 2007 will be given priority in the recently announced new grant schemes. [36232/09]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Farm Improvement Scheme was introduced by my Department in July 2007 with funding of €79 million as agreed under the Partnership Agreement, Towards 2016, and was suspended on 31 October 2007 as applications received had reached this level of funding. 12,675 applications were received from farmers prior to the closing date of the Scheme and these applications have been processed within my Department up to the level of funding available.

The various on-farm investment schemes referred to in my recent announcement will be targeted, however, at specific groups of farmers and applications for grant-aid under these schemes will be subject to both eligibility and assessment criteria in order to determine those which will be approved for grant-aid. Applicants who did not receive approval under the Farm Improvement Scheme will, of course, be eligible to apply for the various aid schemes when they are introduced where they comply with the specific eligibility criteria laid down in the scheme concerned.