A total of 252 applications were received under the Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme (PEPS) of which over 75% have since been processed for payment, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has said.
The minister responded to a parliamentary question by the independent TD for Laois-Offaly, Deputy Carol Nolan regarding the recently announced support scheme for the pig sector.
The PEPS, which closed for applications on March 20, 2022, includes a fund of up to €7 million for commercial pig farmers and was established in response to the crisis in the sector.
The remaining applications are currently being processed and payments will issue as they are processed with any outstanding issues are rectified, according to the minister.
Minister McConalogue said that the scheme is an urgent short-term response to assist producers amid “extreme current circumstances”, and to allow space for a more medium-term adjustment to market signals.
The support will be distributed to commercial pig farmers who have produced 200 or more pigs between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 inclusive.
The scheme operates under the agriculture de minimis rules which provide for a maximum payment per undertaking of €20,000, according to Minister McConalogue.
Commenting on the minister’s response to her parliamentary question, Deputy Nolan said:
“While I appreciate that the minister is bound to some extent by de minimis rules, this only means that creativity, in terms of putting in place less-restrictive supports, is needed now more than ever.”
She added that there is a “considerable distance to travel” before the pig sector emerges from the current crisis it is facing.
Deputy Nolan also asked the minister about the value of financial supports drawn down to date from the €7 million fund, however, Minister McConalogue added that this will not be apparent until applications are fully processed.