Tony Killeen T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, has confirmed that special payments amounting to approximately 7 million euro will be made to 13,000 hill sheep farmers over the next two months.Minister Killeen confirmed that he expected that Upland Sheep Payment Scheme payments worth in the region of 5 million euro would be made by the end of the year with the remaining 2 million euro being paid in early 2010. A further 54 million euro will be made available over the next three years in unused CAP funds to support incomes in the sheep sector.
The Clare T.D. said: “The Uplands Sheep Payment comprises unused funds from the Single Payment National Reserve. By creating this payment, the Government has recognised the difficulties and costs, including compliance costs, facing the sheep sector.”
“In addition to the 7 million euro payments being made over the next two months, the Department has allocated an additional 8 million euro for sheep fencing and mobile handling facilities to assist sheep farmers in reducing labour input, as part of a new targeted on-farm investment scheme”, added Minister of State Killeen.
The 2009 Upland Sheep Payment will be payable to farmers who declared their sheep under the 2007 and the 2008 Sheep Census; declared Mountain Type Grazing under the 2009 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme; and were eligible for and were in receipt of payment under the 2009 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. The maximum area payable is 15 hectares of mountain type grazing.
