Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I introduced this Scheme to provide some compensation to growers for damage to potatoes and root vegetables caused by frost in January of this year. The Scheme is aimed at providing a limited and targeted financial contribution to those growers, who suffered significant losses of produce due to frost damage. Financial aid will only be paid in instances where genuine damage to crops was caused by the severe frost in January 2010.

The level of aid must not exceed 80% (90% in Disadvantaged Areas) and, for growers that have no crop insurance, the level of compensation must be reduced by 50%. In accordance with EU State Aid Rules, aid is confined to actual losses and conditional on at least 30% of the crop being destroyed when compared with the previous 3 years production. A total of 357 applications were received nationally, of which 12 applications were received from County Galway; one of these was rejected, as it did not meet the 30% requirement. The decision as to the level of aid payable to eligible applicants cannot be made until all the necessary investigative work has been completed and the required calculations, as outlined above, are finalised in the case of individual applicants.