This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/7893831.stm
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Farmers camp out for EU grants | Farmers camp out for EU grants |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew has said the 'first-come, first-served' system of giving grants to farmers to modernise their businesses was fair. | |
| Some farmers spent almost two days queuing outside eight government offices across Northern Ireland to apply for the grants. | |
| The £6m funding package will allow only 1,200 farmers to benefit from the maximum grant award. | |
| "We knew there was going to be no easy way," said the minister. | |
| Some farmers had been queuing since Sunday ahead of Tuesday's 0900 GMT opening. | |
| "If we'd done assessment panels it would have been a lot more bureaucratic and a lot more unwieldy," said Ms Gildernew. | |
| The minister said two more sets of grants would be handed out to farmers. | |
| The EU rural development programme grants are designed to help improve animal welfare and farm efficiency. | The EU rural development programme grants are designed to help improve animal welfare and farm efficiency. |
| The farmers whose grant applications are successful will be able to buy from a government-approved list of items such as cow mattresses, creep feeders and computerised livestock identification systems. | The farmers whose grant applications are successful will be able to buy from a government-approved list of items such as cow mattresses, creep feeders and computerised livestock identification systems. |
| If a farmer gets the maximum grant of £5,000, they must spend £7,000 of their own money on improvements to their farm. | If a farmer gets the maximum grant of £5,000, they must spend £7,000 of their own money on improvements to their farm. |
| Ms Gildernew said it was an "important boost to the economy", because many of the items on the approved list have been made in Northern Ireland. | Ms Gildernew said it was an "important boost to the economy", because many of the items on the approved list have been made in Northern Ireland. |
| Applications | Applications |
| It is understood the Department of Agriculture will allow a number of postal applications to be picked at random from the many thousands which are expected but the bulk of the grants will go to people who make it to the department's regional offices on Tuesday. | It is understood the Department of Agriculture will allow a number of postal applications to be picked at random from the many thousands which are expected but the bulk of the grants will go to people who make it to the department's regional offices on Tuesday. |
| Farmers in Ballymena began queuing on Sunday afternoon, while by the afternoon there were large queues at offices in Coleraine and Dungannon. | Farmers in Ballymena began queuing on Sunday afternoon, while by the afternoon there were large queues at offices in Coleraine and Dungannon. |
| Queues also formed outside government offices in Newry, Armagh, Downpatrick, Enniskillen and Omagh. | Queues also formed outside government offices in Newry, Armagh, Downpatrick, Enniskillen and Omagh. |
| The modernising programme has six main aims: | The modernising programme has six main aims: |
| To introduce new technologies and innovation; To improve animal health and welfare; To increase hygiene control and product storage; To enhance occupational safety and business efficiency; To increase energy efficiency; and To enhance the environmental impact of farming techniques. | To introduce new technologies and innovation; To improve animal health and welfare; To increase hygiene control and product storage; To enhance occupational safety and business efficiency; To increase energy efficiency; and To enhance the environmental impact of farming techniques. |