Unused EU farm funds unavailable until next year

UNUSED EU agriculture funds will not be available until 2010, apart from €7 million Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith has allocated to sheep farmers, for distribution in December.

As part of the CAP health check, member states may utilise unspent single-farm payment funds.

The available monies in Ireland for 2009, amounting to about €7m, will be used as a once-off Uplands Sheep Payment in December to about 14,000 hill sheep farmers.