This article is from page 46 of the 2008-11-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 46 JPG
CLARE TD, Tony Killeen, came out swinging last week in response to a number of negative comments made by Irish farm leaders in relation to last month’s budget.
Despite much negative sentiment being directed towards the budget, and especially it’s impact on poorer farmers, the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisher- ies and Food, released a statement on Thursday describing Ireland’s Dis- advantaged Area Scheme as one of the best-funded schemes of its type in the European Union.
Minister Killeen said that a total of €200 million in funding has been earmarked for the scheme in 2009.
“Despite the intense pressures
caused by the current economic difficulties, the fact is that Ireland continues to benefit greatly under the Disadvantaged Area Scheme,’ he said. However, the decision has reluctantly been taken to reduce ex- penditure on the disadvantaged area scheme in 2009.
‘This had been done in a targeted way that ensures that 67,000 of the 102,000 farmers in the scheme will experience no reduction in their pay- ments.
“All participants in the scheme will continue to benefit from the substan- tial increase of 8 per cent introduced in the rate of payments introduced in 2007 while almost half of those in receipt of disadvantaged area pay- ments will also benefit under REPS, which includes a seventeen per cent
increase in the level of payments made under REPS4.”
In addition, over 47,000 participants will benefit from the suckler welfare scheme, which is a new stream of in- come for Irish farmers and in respect of which €77 million will be paid out in the next couple of months. Furthermore, farmers in disadvan- taged areas will receive €920 mil- lion in single farm payments.
Despite these reassurances, Clare opposition TD Joe Carey last week attacked the government for the budget and in particular it’s effect on farming.
“The farming sector is being hit disproportionately in this budget. Hitting farmers by amounts in ex- cess of €2,000 is simply not right,’ he said.
“The measures are unfair, unjust and clearly need to be revisited. I appeal to the Minister to look again very closely at the harshness of sus- pending the young farmer’s installa- tion aid scheme, the early retirement scheme and the disadvantaged area payments.
“In disadvantaged areas 40,000 farmers will lose over €1,000 per year. This cut is a direct attack on the rural communities in the West of Ireland, it’s a direct attack on Farm- ers in my own constituency of Clare, where 6,120 farmers will be directly NEKO Koen
“The disadvantaged area payment was introduced to give farmers some respite as the land which they farm is poor and much harder to make a living from.”