Vol. 576 No. 5
193 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason there was such a substantial increase in funding in 2002 compared with 2001 for a specific scheme (details supplied) within his Department; and the areas in which the increased funding was spent. [29859/03]
The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, ICBF, received grant assistance of €601,977 from my Department in 2002. This payment represented an increase in funding of just over 35% on the previous year.
Since its establishment in 1997, there has been an ongoing transfer of functions and associated costs from my Department to the ICBF. In 2001, provision was made in the Estimates for €994,000 to meet the additional costs associated with the total transfer to the ICBF of responsibility for beef bull performance testing and the operations of the Tully bull performance testing station in Kildare. However, as the take-over did not take place until September, which was much later in the year than anticipated, a reduced allocation of €601,977 was provided to cover the shorter period of responsibility.
194 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason there was such a substantial increase in funding in 2003 compared with 2002 for a specific scheme (details supplied) within his Department; and the areas in which the increased funding was spent. [29860/03]
Subhead I.1 of my Department's Vote – national development plan; agricultural development – provides funding for a number of on-farm investment grant schemes. The main schemes are the farm waste management scheme, the dairy hygiene scheme and the installation aid scheme. Details of subhead expenditure in 2002 together with Estimate allocations for 2003 and 2004 are as follows:
|
2002 (Actual Outturn) |
€24.2m. |
|
2003 (Estimates Allocation) |
€31.0m. (+28%) |
|
2004 (Estimates Allocation) |
€52.5m. (+70%) |
195 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason there was such a substantial increase in funding in 2002 compared with 2001 for a specific scheme (details supplied) within his Department; and the areas in which the increased funding was spent. [29861/03]
Since 1997, Exchequer funding has been paid to local authorities to help them meet their statutory obligations to inspect and certify meat at domestic abattoirs and other ancillary activities. Following the establishment of the FSAI, the local authorities commenced working under service contract to that body from 5 July 1999. My Department continued to be the route through which Exchequer funding was paid to local authorities until 31 December 2002, when this role transferred to my colleague the Minister for Health and Children, who has since had responsibility for the matter.
Funding paid to local authorities under these arrangements in respect of 2002 was €6.321million an increase of 9% over 2001. This was mainly due to salary increases arising from national wage agreements and increases arising from ongoing development of the service.
196 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason there was such a substantial increase in funding in 2002 compared with 2001 for a specific scheme (details supplied) within his Department; and the areas in which the increased funding was spent. [29862/03]
The provision in question relates to the development of organic farming and, in particular, to payments made by my Department, as the competent authority, to three private certification bodies. These bodies are approved to perform the inspection and certification of organic operations. Standards for organic crop produce have been fixed since 1992 by Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2092/91. With effect from 24 August 2000, Council Regulation 1804/99, which supplemented Regulation 2092/91, brought organic livestock and livestock produce within the ambit of EU rules. This made it necessary for my Department to make arrangements for the inspection and certification of organic livestock operators.
197 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason there was such a substantial increase in funding in 2001 compared with 2000 for a specific scheme (details supplied) within his Department; and the areas in which the increased funding was spent. [29863/03]
200 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason there was such a substantial increase in funding in 1999 compared with 1998 for a specific scheme (details supplied) within his Department; and the areas in which the increased funding was spent. [29866/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 197 and 200 together.
The amounts in question were used to cover, in part, the cost of creation, maintenance and further enhancement of the computerised cattle monitoring system, CMMS, and the development and integration with CMMS of the animal health computer system, AHCS. Bovine animal identification and tracing is a key element of the national beef assurance scheme. The uses and value of the system have gone well beyond the original design. The primary aim of CMMS was to provide a comprehensive central database of the origin, identity and life history of cattle. The extent and accuracy of data now available allows it to be used for other applications. The system is used increasingly and systematically to reduce the burden of paperwork for farmers, notably, through the elimination or simplification of application forms for livestock premiums, the establishment of premium entitlements direct from the system and the provision of ongoing data to farmers on the number and status of animals in their herds. The system is also routinely used to identify and trace cattle for disease control purposes – contact tracing for BSE and brucellosis. It provides general assurances to consumers about the origin and identification of Irish beef and is employed as a marketing tool by Ireland's beef export industry. It is used to assist in the testing and certification requirements of a variety of schemes such as certification of beef for Russia, determination of age for BSE testing etc.
The scheme has become an integral part of the ante-mortem process at factories and pre-clearance for live exports to the extent that neither can function in the absence of the system. It fulfils Ireland's EU identification obligations and cross-compliance obligations and acts as a management tool to highlight and follow up anomalies in animal origin and location. Its most recent use is as a statistical tool to assist the industry in making informed decisions about breeding and production.
|
Item |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Payments to marts |
187 |
572 |
169 |
23 |
|
Payments to factories-export points |
33 |
76 |
54 |
19 |
|
Printing, publicity and data entry |
593 |
601 |
401 |
678 |
|
Computer equipment, software,communications lines |
1,498 |
2,803 |
1,900 |
2,159 |
|
Payments to abattoirs |
– |
81 |
6 |
|
|
Provision of herd registers |
– |
1,321 |
– |
– |
|
Green Card Exchange |
– |
– |
739 |
|
|
Herd reconciliation project |
– |
– |
– |
474 |
|
Animal Health Computer system |
– |
– |
545 |
1,359 |
198 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason there was such a decrease in funding in 2001 compared with 2000 for a specific investment scheme (details supplied) within his Department. [29864/03]
Expenditure in the year 2000 on the old on-farm investment schemes, which were established by my Department pursuant to the 1994-99 operational programme for agriculture, rural development and forestry, was £25.796 million. As these schemes are now closed, a nominal allocation only was provided in subhead M1 in order to leave this subhead open for the making of residual payments to farmers. The actual expenditure under subhead M1 for 2001 was in fact £12.25 million. The 1994-99 schemes were, of course, replaced by the current on-farm investment schemes, which are funded from a different subhead.
