Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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306. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the latest reports that the payment of the European Union dairy aid package to farmers could be delayed until the end of March 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40701/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The relevant EU legislative provisions providing for this direct aid payment came into force in mid-October and provide that Member States have the flexibility to distribute this aid through the most effective channels at their disposal. It is a clear requirement of the provisions regarding this aid that the funds need to be distributed on the basis of objective and non-discriminatory criteria and also needs to ensure that farmers in the relevant sectors are the ultimate beneficiaries of the targeted aid.

I have discussed these matters with representatives of the dairy sector, most recently at the dairy forum on 29h September. I took the opportunity to update stakeholders regarding progress to date and to seek their opinions regarding how best to distribute this aid. Any decision on distribution obviously had to await the adoption at EU level of the relevant legislative provisions. In addition my Department have also had discussions with representatives of the Irish pig sector. I am currently considering various options and intend to announce final decisions regarding the aid levels and mechanisms in the very near future.