Written answers

Thursday, 11 March 2010

Department of Agriculture and Food

Farm Waste Management

4:00 pm

Photo of Seán SherlockSeán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 17: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the numbers of farmers paid under the farm waste management scheme; the number yet to be paid; the number of penalties imposed; and the level of penalty imposed. [12038/10]

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Total expenditure under the Farm Waste Management Scheme, to date since January 2007, has been €1.015 billion. 12,847 payments totalling €413.7 million were made under the Farm Waste Management Scheme in 2008 compared to 4,748 payments totalling €113.9 million in 2007. In 2009, the Government agreed to make the remaining payments under the Scheme on a phased basis and 17,361 farmers received their first instalment of grant-aid under the Farm Waste Management Scheme in 2009 whilst 3,683 farmers received their second instalment of grant-aid under the Scheme in the same year, which brought total expenditure under the Scheme in 2009 to €292.76 million. Expenditure under the Scheme, to date in 2010, has been €194.3 million comprised mainly of further payments of the second instalment due to farmers under the Scheme. The final instalment of grant-aid will be paid to farmers in 2011.

In a small number of cases (estimated at substantially less than 1 per cent), no grant payment has yet been approved for applicants under the Scheme (i) as applicants have not yet submitted the necessary tax clearance documentation or have not provided the required documentary proof of payment of the contractors concerned, or (ii) due to technical issues having arisen in relation to the standard of the completed buildings. Between January-November 2009, 81 penalties totalling €46,683 were applied in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Scheme. More up-to-date figures are not available at present due to industrial action by staff in my Department.

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