Smith can claim credit for Agriculture department savings of €107m

AGRICULTURE Minister Brendan Smith earned kudos going into yesterday’s Budget by claiming genuine savings of almost €107m, compared to his department’s 2009 budget.

Annual salary savings of €6.5m were attributed to staffing reductions of 380 in his department.

There was a saving of €2m due to travel allowances being reduced by 25%. Rationalisation and reorganisation of local offices also contributed to the total savings of €107m, along with under-spending of €82m in the scheme to remove contaminated pigmeat; €4m in the early retirement scheme; €3m in the Bord Iascaigh Mhara grant-in-aid; and €856,000 in legal costs.