Sheep farm scheme will produce €54m pay-out over three years

PAYMENTS under the 2009 Upland Sheep Payment Scheme will commence in early December, Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith announced yesterday.

He said this payment is worth €7 million to 13,000 hill sheep farmers for 2009. A further €54m will be made available over the next three years in unused CAP funds to support incomes in the sheep sector.

Mr Smith said he expected that payments worth in the region of €5m would be made by the end of the year, with the remaining €2m being paid in early 2010.