Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will include working horses in calculations for the disadvantaged area scheme.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47629/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The budgeted expenditure under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was reduced from €220 million to €190 million and, in order to achieve the €30 million saving in expenditure, it was necessary to introduce changes to the Scheme eligibility criteria for 2012. This was achieved by making technical adjustments to the Scheme criteria to ensure that the aid payment is focused on farmers, whose farming enterprises are situated exclusively in Less Favoured Areas and who are making a significant contribution to achieving the objectives of the Scheme.

In order to better focus limited resources, it was decided that, in general, horses would no longer be eligible for the stocking density calculation. However, equine breeding enterprises continue to be eligible on the basis of the contribution they make to the local economy.

Furthermore, provision was made for consideration, on a case by case basis, of cases deemed to represent force majeure/exceptional circumstances; all those who are shown not to have achieved the qualifying stocking density for 2011 have been written to and offered the opportunity to outline any circumstance which restricted the activity in 2011.