Dáil Éireann - Volume 363 - 22 January, 1986 - Written Answers.


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Dáil Éireann - Volume 363 - 22 January, 1986

Written Answers. - Feed Voucher Scheme.

Mr. G. Collins Mr. G. Collins

341. Mr. G. Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture the number of applicants for aid from each county under his Department's feed voucher scheme.

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Deasy) Austin Deasy

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Deasy): Following is the information requested by the Deputy:

205 [205]County	No. of Applicants under the Feed Voucher Scheme
Carlow	510
Cavan	4,820
Clare	5,300
Cork	6,140
Donegal	7,190
Dublin	100
Galway	11,130
Kerry	7,420
Kildare	370
Kilkenny	1,130
Laois	1,100
Leitrim	3,930
Limerick	2,920
Longford	2,160
Louth	580
Mayo	12,010
Meath	1,460
Monaghan	3,600
Offaly	1,630
Roscommon	5,820
Sligo	4,160
Tipperary	2,770
Waterford	890
Westmeath	1,620
Wexford	870
Wicklow	690

Mr. G. Collins Mr. G. Collins

342. Mr. G. Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will consider doubling the headage payments for all farmers in the disadvantaged areas of County Limerick having regard to their present disastrous financial situation due to the inclement weather of 1985.

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Deasy) Austin Deasy

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Deasy): To double the 1985 headage payment rates in County Limerick would involve doubling them also in all other areas which are designated as disadvantaged. This would cost over £30 million and current constraints upon Exchequer resources make this impossible.

However, the issue of vouchers under the feed voucher scheme together with the other relief measures undertaken by the Government, should alleviate the position of farmers in County Limerick and elsewhere who were adversely affected by the inclement weather of 1985.

Mr. G. Collins Mr. G. Collins

206

343. Mr. G. Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture the number of farmers in County Limerick who applied for aid [206] under his Department's feed voucher scheme; the number of applicants who have been paid to date and the total amount of money involved in these payments; the number of applicants who live in disadvantaged areas in County Limerick; and if he is satisfied that sufficient grant-aid is being made to the most needy cases.

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Deasy) Austin Deasy

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Deasy): Some 2,920 farmers in County Limerick applied for aid under the feed voucher scheme, and feed vouchers for £399,000 and 3,870 tonnes of cheap intervention grain have now been issued to 2,433 of these. Separate records are not kept of the number of applicants in disadvantaged areas.

The level of aid under the scheme is generous given the difficult budgetary situation and the conditions of the scheme were designed to ensure that those farmers in greatest need benefit most.

Mr. G. Collins Mr. G. Collins

344. Mr. G. Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture how his Department can say to an applicant under the feed voucher scheme of 1985-86 that the quantity of winter feed declared by the applicant has been assessed as over 75 per cent of his requirements when no representative from his Department or any other organisation visited the applicant and examined the quality of the feed stocks on hand.

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Deasy) Austin Deasy

Minister for Agriculture (Mr. Deasy): As some 90,000 applications have been received under the feed voucher scheme it has not been possible to carry out on-farm inspections in all cases. Assessment of applicants which have not been inspected is based on information on livestock numbers and fodder stocks supplied by the applicants.

It is recognised that the feeding quality of fodder this winter is below normal standards and this has been taken into account in assessing fodder supplies on farms.

Dáil Éireann 363 Written Answers. Feed Voucher Scheme.

Questions

19860122