9 October 2017
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Fine Gael Senator on the Agriculture panel, Tim Lombard, has said Cork farmers are set to benefit from €13,005,566 in funding under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme.
Cork Senator Tim Lombard
The funding was announced by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, and is set to benefit 75,000 farmers natioanlly with total funding exceeding €170 million.
Senator Lombard said: “This funding will benefit 5,621 of our local, hard-working farmers. I would like to thank my Fine Gael colleague, Minister Michael Creed for fighting to make this possible.
“Farmers, especially on the hills and in the disadvantaged areas, took heavy cuts in direct support during the recession and the funding for this year will go some way to rectifying that.
“The Agriculture and Food sector is a strategic priority for Fine Gael. We recognise that farm families are the heartbeat of the rural economy and our vision for the sector will inspire the next generation to continue the tradition of family farming.”
Minister Creed said: “The ANC Scheme is an important support for farmers in many regions of the country, and I am delighted to announce that payments have now started to issue. My Department will continue to process remaining cases for payment as a matter of urgency over the coming weeks.”
