The announcement means that 5895 Clare farmers will get 14,098,175 euro worth of payments, which is additional to the 31.5 million euro received since 19 October last.
According to Minister of State Killeen: “Given the circumstances experienced by farmers this year, I am particularly pleased that, in the light of a recent EU Commission decision, the Department was in a position to bring forward advance payments nationally of more than 864 million euro by a full six weeks sooner than is provided for under the rules of the scheme, while the level of advance payment, at 70 per cent, was unprecedented.”
The Clare T.D. has also received confirmation from Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith that he will be requesting the approval of the Dáil this Thursday for a Supplementary Estimate for the Department.
Minister of State Killeen explained: “This Supplementary Estimate would allow the Department to bring forward some 85 million euro in payments under the Farm Waste Management Scheme and the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS), which otherwise would have fallen to be paid in the New Year. If approved, the Department’s spending on REPS will reach a record level of 369 million euro in 2009.”
-ENDS-
Notes to Editor:
- High-resolution images of Tony Killeen, Fianna Fail TD for Clare, and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with special responsibility for Forestry, Fisheries and the Marine, may be downloaded from www.dunphyprimages.com
- For further information please contact Mark Dunphy of Dunphy PR at media@dunphypr.com or 086-8534900
Dunphy Public Relations
Connolly, Ennis, Co Clare, IRELAND
(Tel) 00353-868534900;
www.dunphypr.com;
