Written Answers Nos. 12-20
12. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plan to introduce a maximum lobster landing limit of 127 mm; if this will include a mandatory v-notching programme for lobster; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26128/14]
View answerOn 14 May I launched a package of measures aimed at supporting and developing Ireland’s inshore fisheries. As part of the package of measures, I announced the introduction a maximum landing size for lobster of 127mm due to the importance of very large lobsters to the reproductive potential of the stock. The decision to introduce this new conservation measure followed on from consideration of over 250 submissions received during public consultation and of expert advice from the marine agencies. During the first 2 years of operation of this new measure, in order to provide support for potential financial losses throughout the transitional period, fishermen will be paid up to 75% of the market price for v-notching ‘oversize’ lobsters and returning them live to the sea.
The voluntary v-notching conservation programme has been an important contributor to the sustainability of Irish lobster stocks. It was with this in mind that I also announced an increase in grant aid for voluntary v-notching of lobsters from the existing maximum of 55% to a new maximum of 75% as part of the new Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Scheme to be delivered by BIM.
During the public consultation on the proposals for the lobster fishery, many fishermen, particularly inshore fishermen who depend heavily on lobster for their income, put forward a variety of alternative proposals to safeguard lobster stocks into the future. These alternatives included but were not limited to strengthening participation in the v-notching programme by a variety of means. I would like to see inshore fishermen themselves explore and develop such proposals to ensure the long-term sustainability of lobster and other important fisheries they rely upon. It is for this reason that I also announced the establishment of the National Inshore Fisheries Forum (NIFF) to provide inshore fishermen with their own space for convening and bringing common initiatives forward. A network of Regional Inshore Forums (RIFs), based on and linked to the community-led Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) around the Irish coast, will nominate delegates to bring forward regional proposals to the NIFF for wider industry discussion.
The purpose of the Forums will primarily be to develop and facilitate implementation of policies and initiatives relating to the sustainable management of the inshore fisheries within six nautical miles. From the ground-up, inshore fishermen need to be involved in designing policies that affect their livelihoods. I hope inshore fishermen will embrace the opportunity this new initiative provides to ensure the Forums become a successful platform for developing this important sector of Ireland’s fishing industry.
13. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to support the sheep industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25914/14]
View answerThe industry wide strategy for developing the sheep industry in Ireland was set out in the Food Harvest 2020 document which envisages a 20% increase in value terms of the sector by 2020. My approach to building on the significant achievements of the strategy up until now is to drive the development of the industry at home and increase Ireland's market share of the world market. This will ensure that producers and processors can plan for the future, increasing the value of the industry for the benefit of all.
In terms of the performance of the sector in 2013, I am pleased to note that for the third consecutive year Irish sheep throughput grew, reaching 2.61 million head, a rise of 8%. These developments led to sheepmeat production rising by around 3% to stand just over 55,000 tonnes. The total value of Irish sheepmeat exports is estimated to have increased by over 4% in 2013 to reach €220m. The market outlook for Irish sheepmeat in 2014 looks reasonably stable as a result of ongoing tight EU sheep supplies and a reduced presence of New Zealand lamb. Average prices to date this year are almost 6% ahead of 2013.
At producer level I continue to put in place incentives to ensure that producers see a viable future in the sector. Earlier this year I announced the extension of the Sheep Technology Adoption Programme (STAP) for a further year. In committing funding of €3m to the programme in 2014 I am acknowledging the success of the 2013 scheme in which 4,000 producers participated. Support for the sheep sector also comes from the sheep grassland Scheme for which I have prioritised funding over the last four years. This scheme delivered €68 million directly to the incomes of Irish sheep farmers and I am very pleased that the scheme will operate again in 2014, with an increased budget of €15 million.
In addition to the budget for the 2014 Scheme being increased from €14 million to €15 million, there is the additional benefit to participating farmers in that payments under the Scheme will not be liable to Modulation, which previously applied at varying rates up to a maximum of 10%. The Modulation deductions made in respect of payments under the 2013 Scheme represent 7.5%. While it is envisaged that the payment rates will be increased under the 2014 Scheme, allowance must be taken of increased sheep numbers but overall I expect that an additional €2 million will be paid to sheep farmers in 2014 under the scheme.
As you are aware I am proposing under the new CAP that payments received under the 2014 Grassland Sheep Scheme will be incorporated into the calculation of the entitlement value in each year of the new regime for those farmers who participated in that Scheme. This will have the effect of increasing their entitlement value and ensure that such farmers do not lose through the cessation of the scheme at the end of 2014. This will include the additional €2 million payable in 2014 and will mean that enhanced funding will be available to sheep farmers under the new regime.
Under the new Rural Development Programme (RDP) I have made provision for improving efficiency and profitability in sheep production under the knowledge transfer measure and the lessons learned from STAP will inform the development of this measure. The RDP programme will provide support to farmers by means of a range of measures across a number of priorities, including environmental objectives. The new agri-environment scheme, GLAS (Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme) will support, among others, extensive and hill farmers, who have shown themselves to be careful custodians of the countryside in previous agri-environment schemes. GLAS intends giving priority to those commonage farmers who reach a collective agreement on the management of these valuable landscapes. It also includes a menu of environmental actions, many of which will be suitable for all sheep farmers.
On the export front I intend to drive further the search for new markets. My Department in consultation with the meat industry and in co-operation with Bord Bia and the Irish Embassies abroad is constantly pushing for new markets and opportunities. The usefulness of alternative markets as a buffer against market volatility was obvious in the sheep export statistics for 2013. Because of the economic downturn in the UK and France our exports to those markets dipped but we were able to offset this loss with increased exports to Belgium, Germany and Sweden thereby showing a positive net result for the sector at the end of the year.
This week I met with Mr. Liu Yunshan the 5th ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee and First Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the CPC. I informed him of the progress Ireland has made in our efforts to gain access to the Chinese market and thanked him for the agreement of the Chinese authorities to initiate access procedures for sheepmeat from Ireland.
14. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide information on the matching funding which the Government will make available along with the €148 million from the European Union over the next six years under the Common Fisheries Policy. [26141/14]
View answerThe EU Regulation establishing the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund was published on 20 May 2014. Following months of intense lobbying and negotiation, I announced on 12 June 2014 that I had secured €148 million from the new Fund for the period 2014 to 2020 for the development of the Irish seafood industry and the coastal communities that depend upon it. This funding is more than double the amount that was available to Ireland during the last Common Fisheries Policy and will ensure a strong seafood industry in Ireland that can grow and expand to meet its potential up to 2020. Ireland’s EMFF allocation is to be provided through 5 discrete funding envelopes, namely €71 million for investment in the seafood industry, €32 million for data collection, €37 million for control and enforcement, €5 million for implementation of the Integrated Maritime Policy, and €1.3 million for storage aid.
The new CFP is a major overhaul of the way which fishing is carried out in EU waters, the purpose of which is to provide a framework for the long term sustainability of fish stocks and the whole industry. The EMFF Fund will provide support for our fishing fleet to meet the challenges of the new discards ban. It will support the development of the seafood processing sector, a sustainable aquaculture industry and the communities that depend on a vibrant seafood industry. The new fund will help our seafood industry to develop and maintain long term sustainability and economic strength.
My Department has been working since 2013 on developing a new Operational Programme setting out the arrangements for spending Ireland’s allocation under the Fund and has engaged with stakeholders on a number of occasions to date. Further public consultation and strategic environmental assessment will take place over summer 2014. The new Operational Programme must be submitted to the European Commission for adoption before the end of 2014.
While the co-financing rate for some measures in the EMFF Regulation is fixed, notably data collection at 80% and control and enforcement at mostly 90%, other measures are a matter of national discretion. I will be discussing this matter with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in the near future, having regard to the general budgetary situation for the coming years and we will agree what co-financing by the Exchequer is appropriate.
15. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the interactions he and his Department have had with other Departments here, and also with he European Commission regarding meeting our EU targets on greenhouse gas emission targets; if any concerns have been expressed regarding the Harvest 2020 policy at an EU level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26126/14]
View answerThe 2008 Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) formed part of the EU Climate and Energy Package in 2008 for the post-Kyoto period 2013-2020. Under the Effort Sharing Decision, Ireland’s target is to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions by 20% compared to 2005 emission levels by 2020. The ESD does not set individual sectoral targets.
My Department along with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, as well as other relevant Departments, has continually made a strong case to the European Commission that there is a need for a more coherent approach to target setting as far as agriculture is concerned. In particular given that worldwide demand for production of food will increase by some 50% by 2030, EU policies must avoid downward pressure on food production, and maintain and enhance the EU contribution to sustainable global food production.
The Irish agri-food industry strategy, Food Harvest 2020 (FH2020) set targets for increases in the value of agriculture output and exports by 2020 and for a 50% increase in milk volume. The Commission is very aware of the targets contained in FH2020, and these are factored into all discussions on the 2020 targets and indeed on ambition to 2030.
The communication for a framework on climate and energy for 2030 was published by the Commission in January 2014. The inclusion of a subsection on agriculture and land use is a welcome first step towards seeking an approach to ambition for the sector that is realistic and consistent with meeting the twin challenges of sustainable food production, in the light of rising global demand, and climate change mitigation and adaptation, in the light of overall EU and global objectives.
My Department is supporting other Government Departments in negotiations on the 2030 climate framework to ensure the interests of Irish agriculture are reflected. The Department will also seek to build alliances with other member states to further support the development of appropriate policies for the treatment of agriculture and climate change.
16. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the details of the beef data and genomics programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26131/14]
View answerI announced details of some of the measures under consideration in the in the new Rural Development programme (RDP) on 13th May last. I expect to be in a position to submit the draft RDP to the European Commission for evaluation and approval shortly.
The proposed Beef Data and Genomics Programme is, subject to Commission approval, intended to deliver an accelerated improvement in the quality and environmental sustainability of the beef herd through the application of genomics technology. This will help farmers to maximise productivity in a sustainable way, while supporting improved quality and traceability in the national suckler herd, as set out under the Food Harvest (FH) 2020 strategy.
The programme will provide support to farmers to take samples for genotyping from selected animals in their herds and to provide vital breeding data to support the development of a national cattle breeding databank. The data will provide farmers with the tools to select higher quality and more efficient breeding replacements through the use of cutting edge genomic technology. The selection of more efficient animals with the right genetics for easy calving and high weight gain thereafter, that can be finished earlier, will have a substantial environmental dividend and will also contribute to improving productivity, reducing input costs and improving margins for farmers.
Improved knowledge on the genetic merit of an animal should facilitate more informed on-farm selection decisions with the eventual outcome of increased genetic gain for a range of performance traits and therefore greater farm profitability. Using data gained from the implementation of genomic selection in Irish dairy cattle since 2009, genomic selection is expected to increase genetic gain by up to 50%; however this is dependent on good accuracy of selection for which the main requirement is individual animal performance data on a very large number of animals of known parentage.
Some €295 million has provisionally been allocated for BDGP and payments will, subject to the approval of the programme by the EU commission, be paid to farmers for work carried out, including the development of a herd breeding plan, training and transaction costs. Among the activities being considered for the programme are the:
- recording of animal events,
- recording of a range of performance criteria,
- taking and sending for laboratory testing tissue (DNA) samples from selected animals, and
- selection of high quality replacement bulls and heifers over the five period of their BDGP contract.
Officials in my Department are currently in discussions with the EU Commission on the final details of the programme and it will be some time before the final details are known.
17. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he intends to develop agro-forestry as part of an expansion of sustainable afforestation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25916/14]
View answerThe draft Forestry Programme for 2014-2020 does include a measure for agro-forestry. Agro-forestry under EU rules means land use systems in which trees are grown in combination with agriculture on the same land. The measure will be targeted at silvopastoral agro-forestry systems which combine forestry and pasture. Key objectives of the scheme will be to:
- produce high quality hardwood timber where appropriate (including oak, sycamore and cherry);
- encourage continuous cover forestry and close-to-nature silvicultural techniques; and
- enhance the quality and diversity of landscapes.
As this is the first occasion agro-forestry will be funded under the afforestation scheme, support for this type of forestry will be launched on a small-scale pilot basis; the target area to be planted will therefore be relatively small compared with the other afforestation categories.
In accordance with EU State Aid rules only 80% of eligible costs can be funded; premiums will be available and will be paid for five years and will cover the cost of maintenance only. Once land is converted to agro-forestry it will be classified as forest land and the provisions of forest legislation will apply. Support for the establishment of demonstration plots for research purposes may also be considered under this measure.
Further details regarding this scheme are due to be submitted for public consultation in July 2014.
18. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has considered the impact on farm incomes arising from the changes in the means testing of farm assist in budget 2013 by the Department of Social Protection; his views on the impact the changes have made to farm income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26129/14]
View answerThe Farm Assist scheme is the responsibility of the Minister for Social Protection. The changes to the Farm Assist scheme were made in order to bring the scheme into closer alignment with the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme’s treatment of self-employed persons, and were part of the overall package of measures agreed by the Government in Budget 2013.
There were 10,300 recipients of Farm Assist in 2013, with total expenditure of almost €100 million. The scheme is based on Jobseeker’s Allowance, and was introduced in 1999 to replace the ‘Smallholders Unemployment Assistance’ for low income farmers. Farm Assist recipients retain all the advantages of the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme, such as retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes.
The headline rates of Farm Assist are being maintained so that farm families with the lowest income are least affected by these changes. Farm Assist remains a flexible payment and any farmer experiencing lower levels of income or cash-flow issues, due for example to bad weather, can ask the local welfare office to review the level of means applying to his/her claim.
All farms, and in particular lower income drystock farms, benefit significantly from the €1.2 billion in single farm payments paid by my Department each year.
The new Rural Development Programme will also be a vital support to farm families in terms of enhancing the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, managing natural resources in a sustainable manner, and ensuring the balanced development of rural areas. The Government has given a clear signal of its commitment to a strategic investment in rural Ireland and the agri-food sector by providing National Exchequer funding to bring the total amount available for RDP schemes to over €4 billion in the period to 2020.
19. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider providing assistance to the local enterprise offices to ensure that they can provide services with a rural-agriculture dimension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23713/14]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware the development, operation and funding of the 31 Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) throughout the country is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
These newly established offices are charged with promoting entrepreneurship and micro-enterprise development. They have been specifically developed to provide the first-stop-shop for those starting a new business as well as those wishing to expand an existing one. As advised in the answer to Parliamentary Question 23810/14 earlier this month, these offices “will be able to provide information and guidance to all business ideas, including those with a rural / agricultural dimension, and can provide funding and mentoring / training to projects that have the potential to trade internationally and become commercially viable”.
As part of their remit, where necessary, LEOs will refer entrepreneurs and aspiring businesses to relevant support services to assist specific development needs. In that context, if requested, marketing, consumer and innovation support services could be provided by Bord Bia while, if relevant, Teagasc could assist with scientific and technological knowledge.
20. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he has taken to develop food and other export and home market opportunities from the horticultural sector with particular focus on investment in research and development in view of the EU's concern over a deficit in this area. [23714/14]
View answerHorticulture is a hugely important sector to Ireland and my Department has worked tirelessly on increasing the output and value of this sector. In fact, in 2013, Ireland’s horticultural industry, excluding potatoes, had a farm-gate output value of €314m. This represented a 6% increase on the value of output for the sector in 2012.
Mushrooms represent over one third of the value of output for the sector and a significant proportion of our crop is exported to the UK. The value of output from the mushroom sector has grown significantly in recent years on the strength of an Industry/EU co-funded mushroom promotion campaign operating on the UK market since autumn 2010. Given the success of the original 3-year mushroom promotion campaign on the UK market, Bord Bia, with support from the Industry, submitted an application for a further 3-year mushroom promotion campaign which commenced in Autumn 2013 and covers both the Irish and UK markets and will see a spend of €2.7 million over the period.
The mushroom sector has also benefitted strongly from participation in the EU's Producer Organisation Scheme which is administered by my Department. Ireland’s largest Producer Organisation, Commercial Mushroom Producers (CMP) consists of 54 mushroom growers who, through their Producer Organisations, receive substantial aid through the scheme each year.
Through the National Development Plan, a total of €13.6m was paid to applicants under the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector over the period 2009-2013. This competitive grant aid scheme supports capital investments in specialised horticultural equipment and buildings that contribute to at least one of the scheme’s four objectives namely: to improve the quality of output, to facilitate environmentally friendly practices, to improve working conditions and to promote diversification of production.
A further €5 million in funding has been awarded to 163 successful projects under the 2014 Round of the Scheme. This will support investments by growers of approximately €13 million before the end of this year.
In support of the sector my Department implements the EU Marketing Standards for fresh fruit and vegetables by conducting inspections to verify these products meet quality and labelling requirements. One of the key points in these inspections is verification of country of origin labelling.
On the research front Teagasc is researching the benefits of creating new horticulture energy hubs that will allow new horticultural enterprises to reduce their energy costs while at the same time allowing the energy generator benefit from meeting their targets regarding utilisation of excess heat. Utilisation of such excess heat has the potential to reduce heating costs for some horticultural growers by up to one third. For a crop like tomatoes this could translate into a 20% reduction in overall production costs.
Teagasc is responsible for providing education and training as well as an advisory service for Ireland's agri-food sector and has recently invested €2m in developing its horticultural training facilities at the Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. In addition following consultation with employers in the horticultural sector Teagasc are currently re-focusing their horticultural courses to meet industry demand for skilled commercial horticulture focused graduates.
Teagasc also plan to develop a horticulture technology hub at Ashtown which will cover horticulture education, research and advisory services all under one single management structure. This should lead to strong efficiencies and synergies especially between the horticultural food production side and food research team based at Ashtown. This €5m investment will involve construction of new mushroom tunnels, glass and protected structures as well as new classrooms and seminar rooms.
