Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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286. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the current total and annual cost of State supports, and direct payments from the Exchequer, for farming households. [9181/15]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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287. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way the total and annual average current cost of State supports, and direct payment per farming household, has changed each year from 2008 to 2015. [9182/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 286 and 287 together.

The total amount of direct payments, from both Exchequer and EU sources, made to farmers by my Department in the years 2008 to 2014 and the annual average payment per farmer is set out in the table below.

The initial estimate for my Department on payments to farmers for 2015 is €1,785m.However, given the introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme replacing the Single Payment Scheme this year and the new Rural Development Programme, it is difficult to give any accurate estimate of the average payment likely per farmer for 2015.