Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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709. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total amount of moneys allocated and expended under the pilot waste processing facilities scheme of the Rural Development Programme 2000-2006; the total number of participants; the specific criteria that were down for grant aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11736/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Pilot Waste Processing Facilities Scheme came into operation in June 2006 and provided funding of €4m in order to grant aid  the installation of anaerobic digestors on ten Irish farms. Two applicants have been paid a total of €800,000 under the Scheme.

The main criteria were laid down in the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme and included that grant aid would not be approved for investments that increase the level of production on a holding, the minimum amount of investment eligible of €60,000 per project and the facilities that would be considered eligible for grant aid - fluidised bed combustion systems for the processing of livestock manure/slurry/poultry litter/mushroom compost, treatment plants comprising of anaerobic digestion systems, and other systems for the processing of livestock manure which could be of significant environmental benefit and have the potential to act as a demonstration project.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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710. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if additional actions would be required by participants if current funding levels were increased over the amount that has been ringfenced over the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme for the sheep welfare scheme in order to increase payment rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11737/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The new Sheep Welfare Scheme is part of Ireland's Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 and provides for funding of €25million per annum for eligible sheep farmers to undertake actions which contribute to the welfare of the national flock.  

The scheme provides support of €10 per ewe to farmers with breeding ewes flocks.  Applicants are required to undertake two actions in each year of the scheme, with actions to be chosen from a menu of actions linked to lowland and hill type flocks.

Under the Rural Development Programme payments across schemes are made in recognition of income foregone and costs incurred in undertaking the agreed actions and the payments are agreed with the EU Commission on the basis of costings on this basis. Thus, any changes to payment levels would be linked to the actions required under the scheme.