§ 10. Mr. ÖpikTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he made of the projected costs of an early retirement scheme for farmers. [103782]
§ Ms QuinAny assessment of the cost of an early retirement scheme would depend on a number of variables including grant rates, eligibility criteria, number of applications and administrative costs. However, given the potential sums involved and the mixed reactions to the proposals, we firmly believe that a much better use of the funds to help the agricultural sector is provided for in the rural development measures we have announced.