The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Ireland, Brendan Smith, recently announced the 2011 Bioenergy Scheme to grant aid for the planting of willow and miscanthus crops. Willow and miscanthus are considered "second generation feedstocks" for biofuel production. The scheme is implemented, pursuant to the European Commision's Regulation (No. 1698/2005 of 20 September 2005) on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). According to the Irish government's agriculture website, the Bioenergy Scheme: (1) provides establishment grants to farmers to grow miscanthus and willow for the production of biomass suitable for use as a renewable source of energy, (2) aims to increase the production of willow and miscanthus in Ireland, and to encourage alternative land use options. Under the scheme, "aid is payable on 50% of the approved costs associated with establishing the crop, subject to a maximum payment rate of €1,300 per hectare, with the balance to be invested by the applicant". Qualified applicants include landowners or those who have leasehold title to the land and have responsibility for farming the land on which it is proposed to carry out the plantation.