Written Answers Nos. 782-796
782. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for afforestation on marginal ground, given that it has completely stopped due to the requirement to have 80% of green ground and 20% of marginal ground to obtain grant aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12741/16]
View answerThis Department has proposed to remove the 20% rule on land proposed for afforestation. In April, it initiated a public consultation process on this and the related draft Environmental Requirements for Afforestation. The closing date for this consultation was the 23rd May 2016, and the Department will study the feedback received before making a decision on the 20% rule.
783. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to expedite the payment of a TAMS II grant for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12753/16]
View answerThe applicant in question has applied under the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme for automatic slurry scrapers and animal housing. The application has passed the administrative checks and has been selected for approval which will issue once the technical aspects of the application have been checked in the local office.
784. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application for a farm payment by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12793/16]
View answerThe application associated with the Herd Number cited commenced on 1 November 2011. Payment issued for the 2011-2014 Scheme years.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue. The application of the person named was also selected for an on-farm inspection which took place on the 3 July 2015. During this inspection non-compliances with the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme were noted in relation to the Traditional Hay Meadow and Species Rich Grassland action which resulted in a penalty being incurred. The application will now be processed on the basis of the inspection findings and payment in respect of the 2015 Scheme year, less penalty, will issue at the earliest opportunity.
785. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will take measures to prevent the export of greyhounds to China given the conditions that they must endure there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12819/16]
View answerAll exporters of dogs are required to provide the following animal health and welfare certification. This includes veterinary certification in relation to (i) compliance with identification requirements (Microchipping and pet passport where appropriate) (ii) fitness for the intended journey (iii) health status (iv) rabies vaccination requirements. Once these animal certification requirements are met, dogs, including greyhounds, may be exported internationally.
Bord na gCon is responsible for the governance, regulation and development of the greyhound industry in the Republic of Ireland and the wellbeing of greyhounds, including their physical and social environment, is at the core of Ireland’s greyhound industry. Bord na gCon’s Code of Practice in relation to the welfare of greyhounds sets out specific standards that all individuals engaged in the care and management of registered greyhounds are expected to meet. The Code emphasises that owners and keepers must take full responsibility for the physical and social well-being of greyhounds in line with best welfare practice. Oversight mechanisms in place regarding greyhound exports include inter-agency co-operation, co-operation with fellow members of International Greyhound Forums and from intelligence/information which is received from Welfare Officers during the course of investigations carried out under the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 (the Act). Where any breaches of welfare standards are identified under the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011, Bord na gCon takes stringent actions and prosecutions ensue in accordance with the Act.
Officials of my Department have recently met with Bord na gCon and the welfare members of the International Greyhound Forum (represented by the ISPCA and the Dogs Trust) to consider the issues surrounding the export of greyhounds. Bord na gCon advises all owners involved in the export of greyhounds to only export to destinations that provide the expected levels of greyhound care and management as defined in the Code and I strongly endorse this view.
786. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on puppy farming; his views on the welfare of dogs in this environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12866/16]
View answerThe Local authorities have responsibility under the Dog Breeding Establishment Act 2010 for the licensing and inspection of dog breeding premises. In 2015 my Department engaged in joint inspections with the Local Authorities of the dog breeding establishments countrywide. Arising from these joint inspections, a number of establishments were requested to engage in structural improvements of their premises and one establishment was shut down by Carlow County Council in early 2015. My Department will engage in a further series of joint inspections with Local Authorities in the course of 2016.
787. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an application under the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme by persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12871/16]
View answerAn application for Tranche 2 of the GLAS Scheme for the person named was received on the dedicated GLAS online system on the 8 December 2015.
The unprecedented level of applications to the Scheme has meant that for GLAS 2, priority is being given to what are called Tier 1 and Tier 2 candidates, i.e. those who either manage key environmental assets like endangered birds, protected habitats or high-quality water courses, or who have committed to undertake particularly valuable environmental actions like growing feed-crops for wild birds, adopting low-impact tillage techniques or using low-emission slurry spreading methods.
Farmers had been urged to present the highest standard environmental plans under GLAS 2, and to adopt actions that would promote them from Tier 3 to a higher tier, thereby significantly increasing the chance of selection. Over 80% of applicants in this second tranche of GLAS opted to do so, and with the funding available were approved.
As the application by the person named was ranked as a Tier 3 application it was not selected into the scheme. A third tranche of GLAS (GLAS 3) will open later this year and the person named and any applicant who was unsuccessful in the second tranche will have the opportunity to re-examine their proposed farm-plan, in consultation with their advisor, and see how it might be improved to increase their chance of selection under GLAS 3 and to submit a new application for GLAS 3 when the scheme is opened.
788. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of money spent by his Department on media advertising from March 2011 to February 2016, showing the media organisation, newspaper, radio, television or any other forms of media to which advertisement fees were paid by his Department; and the amount of money paid per year to each media organisation in tabular form. [12879/16]
View answerThe vast bulk of the Department’s advertising consists of press notices in the specialised farming press, provincial and national newspapers. This expenditure includes the publication of Statutory Notices that are required to comply with various national and EU legislative requirements. Advertising through other mediums such as television, radio and online are rarely used. Decisions on the placement of notices are made on a case by case basis, depending on the nature of the advertisement and the target audience.
The expenditure on advertising for the period in question is set out in the following table. It is not possible to provide the detailed breakdown in the timescale provided and I will forward this information to the Deputy as soon as possible.
|
Year |
Value |
|
2011 (from 1 March) |
€258,731.57 |
|
2012 |
€249,566 |
|
2013 |
€160,882 |
|
2014 |
€178,727 |
|
2015 |
€188,178 |
|
2016 (to 29 Feb) |
€15,114.45 |
789. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider that a person (details supplied) made an honest mistake when applying under the national reserve scheme by omitting his basic payment scheme application in January 2015. [12895/16]
View answerThe person named submitted an application under the ‘Old Young Farmer’ category of the 2015 National Reserve using the online application facility. The Terms and Conditions governing the Old Young Farmer category of the 2015 National Reserve clearly state at Point 4 of the Introduction and also at section 2.1 that applicants must submit a Basic Payment Scheme application in the year of application to the National Reserve. The person named did not submit a Basic Payment Scheme application in 2015 and on that basis he did not meet the eligibility criteria under the National Reserve.
The person named was notified of this decision in writing and was offered the opportunity to submit an appeal. My Department has now received an appeal from the person named in relation to his National Reserve application. This appeal will be considered by my Department based on the information set out by the applicant and a decision with regard to the outcome of the appeal will be notified in writing to the applicant within the next two weeks.
790. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of compulsory testing in respect of sheep (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13133/16]
View answerEU Member States are required, under the TSE Regulation (EC) No. 999/2001, to carry out an annual programme for monitoring BSE and scrapie, which is designed to assist in protecting human and animal health. The principal requirements of this programme for Ireland each year, insofar as scrapie is concerned, are to take samples and test for the presence of scrapie in 10,000 sheep over 18 months of age which die on farms (fallen sheep) and 10,000 sheep over 18 months of age which are slaughtered for human consumption. The samples must be taken in a manner that is representative of region and season. It is also a requirement that Ireland target its sheep sampling programme so that, over successive years, samples are submitted from all flocks having more than 100 breeding animals. This reflects a known higher incidence of scrapie in flocks with larger numbers of sheep.
The total number of positive scrapie cases since 2003 is 190, with a peak of 37 cases in 2006. There were 8 cases in 2015 and one case to date in 2016.
The direct cost to my Department for scrapie testing in 2015 was €0.164m. There is no additional cost to farmers with flocks with more than 100 breeding animals beyond the cost which would arise in any event of the collection and disposal of fallen animals.
791. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to clarify the position on land eligibility for basic payment scheme greening purposes; if the policy position has changed from 2015; the impact, if any, which the policy change will have on farmers with designated land, including hen harrier land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13139/16]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Basic Payment Scheme, farmers need to declare an eligible hectare for each payment entitlement held in order to benefit from payment. The hectares declared must be eligible and must have an agricultural activity carried out on them.
The governing EU regulations define an agricultural activity as the production, rearing or growing of agricultural products, including harvesting, milking, breeding animals, and keeping animals for farming purposes and maintaining an agricultural area in a state which makes it suitable for grazing or cultivation. An applicant is free to choose an activity that best suits their farming enterprise and if s/he so wishes can choose to just top the land.
Where an officially approved environmental management plan under the Birds or Habitats Directives requires certain management practices to be conducted on agricultural areas, such management practices will take precedence in determining the level of agricultural activity to be conducted on agricultural areas declared for payment.
Article 32(2)(b)(i) of Regulation (EU) 1307/2013 provides that an eligible hectare includes any area which gave a right to payments in 2008 under the single payment scheme and which no longer complies with the definition of 'eligible hectare' as a result of the implementation of Directive 92/43/EEC, Directive 2000/60/EC and Directive 2009/147/EC.
In that regard, the 2016 BPS Terms and Conditions set out details with regard to land eligibility and payments. Section 1.5 refers to land eligibility and states that in order to draw down payment in respect of BPS entitlements, applicants must have an “eligible hectare” to accompany each entitlement. As previously stated, an eligible hectare is land that is used for an agricultural activity.
Section 1.5 of the Terms and Conditions further makes reference to The Birds and Habitats Directives and provides that land that no longer complies with the definition of eligible hectare as a result of the implementation of Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds or Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora is eligible for payment where the following conditions are met:
(i) The land must have been claimed under the 2008 Single Payment Scheme;
(ii) The land must have been eligible for payment under the 2008 Single Payment Scheme;
(iii) Any increase in the ineligible area should be directly linked to the management requirements for the habitat.
Where an applicant is claiming on land that is otherwise considered ineligible, such land will be deemed eligible for payment where the applicant satisfies the requirements as set out above.
It is also worth noting that in 2015 all applicants for the BPS were provided with "A Guide to Land Eligibility" booklet which details all the requirements that applicants must comply with to ensure that their land remains eligible for payment. The requirements as set out in this booklet equally apply in 2016. Notwithstanding this, my officials are in constant communication with the Commission to ensure that the legal provisions that relate to land eligibility are being correctly interpreted and applied in Ireland.
792. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to clarify the position on payments under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme 2 for farmers who have completed works under the scheme; when these farmers can expect payment under this scheme given the serious cashflow pressures on farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13140/16]
View answerThe Payments module of the TAMS II IT System is currently under development and payments will be made once the system is in place.
793. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the practical changes being introduced under Common Agricultural Policy simplification in 2016 that will directly benefit farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13141/16]
View answerSimplification of the Common Agriculture Policy is a very important issue for Ireland and I have emphasised to the Commission that initiatives taken must result in genuine and real simplification for farmers and administrations alike. Since 2015 a number of simplification measures have been announced by the Commission, with the following range of measures introduced in 2016. These measures are either under way or will be announced shortly.
Following pressure from Ireland and some other Member States, the Commission has introduced a simplified system of administrative penalties and a “yellow card” system for first time breaches of certain direct payments rules. This system reduces the administrative penalty by 50% for a first-time breach for minor over-declarations i.e. less than 10% of the overall area. However, the farmer will be subjected to an on-the-spot inspection in the following year. While the implementation of the penalty element of this system can be introduced quite easily, the current requirement to re-inspect all yellow card recipients in the following year is more complex. This requirement will not result in reduced administration costs and I am pressing the Commission to ensure that a more targeted approach is taken on this particular issue.
The Commission has also introduced a facility allowing Member States to conduct preliminary checks of aid applications which will allow farmers to make corrections to their applications for up to 35 days after the final date of submission, without penalty. This is most welcome and my Department is implementing this system for online applications, which comprise over 75% of all Basic Payment Scheme applications in 2016.
On Rural Development, the publicity requirements for smaller farmers and the programming rules for financial instruments have been simplified and were recently adopted.
Commissioner Hogan will announce a greening package at the Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting in June, which is intended to be in place for the 2017 claim year. I would like to see a comprehensive and effective greening package be introduced, given the many difficulties encountered in this area and notified by Member States to the Commission, and have asked for consideration to be given to the requirement to sow catch crops on 100% of arable land under the equivalence criterion.
794. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he intends to take to improve the market situation for dairy products and thus, dairy farmer incomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13142/16]
View answerI am fully aware of the pressures on dairy farmers right now and I am committed to working with all players in the sector to address these issues and ensure that we have a sustainable dairy sector going forward. As one of the proposers of the Dairy Forum my goal is to ensure that it continues to work constructively as a vehicle for addressing issues of concern to farmers and others in the sector. The Forum has come forward with some good initiatives for farmers already, including an initiative on improving cashflow planning at farm level, which will be rolled out shortly.
The price of milk and dairy commodities is determined by a range of factors, including supply and demand at international level. Food commodity markets including dairy markets have been characterised by significant levels of volatility for a number of years and this trend has continued throughout 2015 and into 2016. Factors contributing to this global price volatility include the Russian Ban and the softening of Chinese demand on one side, coupled with increased production among key global producers, including the EU on the supply side. The longer term demographic and demand perspectives remain positive, but there is no doubt that 2016 will continue to be a challenging year.
Dealing with price volatility is a major challenge for the sector. The Single Farm Payment provides some measure of income stability, and EU market support measures will have a role to play. These measures are not enough on their own, however. The sector needs to look at measures to reduce costs on farms, and at the development of new tools, including fixed price contracts, futures markets and more flexible financing arrangements for farmers. I expect all of the stakeholders in the sector, including processors and banks, to play an active role in the development of such instruments.
I very much welcome the EU Presidency conclusions on a package of support measures to address challenges in the dairy and pigmeat sectors agreed in Brussels at Council in March. This follows on from an earlier package of measures agreed in September of last year and takes account of the ongoing difficulties in the sector.
The package includes a number of proposals by Ireland to the Commission in advance of Council, in particular the doubling of the intervention ceiling for skimmed milk powder and butter. This extra allocation has been utilised in the interim and as recently as last week Commissioner Hogan has indicated the Commission’s willingness to further increase this threshold to 350,000 tonnes. SMP intervention is the key EU support tool for dairy markets and helps to put a floor under prices in this extended period of downward price volatility. This extension will be particularly welcomed by Irish producers in the context of Irish dairy production patterns in the dairy sector which peak during the current period.
In terms of input costs at farm level, Ireland has called on the Commission to consider temporarily suspending EU import tariffs on fertilisers. I understand that the Commission is examining this request at present. At national level, I will continue to support the work of Teagasc, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation and Animal Health Ireland to increase on farm efficiency and reduce input costs. The EU Presidency conclusions also refer to the possibility of advance payments under CAP, as was done in 2015. In addition my Department recently paid €26.4m in direct aid to dairy farmers, co-funded by the exchequer and the EU, to assist with liquidity and cash-flow issues on dairy farms.
I also welcome the proposal for the European Investment Bank (EIB) and member states to work together with the Commission on the feasibility of an EU export credit tool. My Department will continue to engage with the Irish banking system to ensure there is a full appreciation of the temporary impact of downward price volatility on farm enterprises which are financially sound in the medium term.
It remains clear that we need to deal urgently and effectively with this temporary problem. We must ensure that EU farmers are protected from the worst impacts of low commodity prices in an appropriate way, but remain well placed to avail of emerging opportunities when markets recover. Ireland is strongly positioned as a competitive producer of dairy, and while conditions are extremely difficult at present, Irish dairy farmers will be well placed to avail of the opportunity presented by market recovery in due course.
795. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the final outcome regarding the fodder scheme; how many farmers applied and how many were paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13143/16]
View answerIn response to the recent winter floods a Fodder Aid Scheme was launched to compensate farmers for losses of fodder supplies experienced; 389 applications were received, of which 326 resulted in compensation issuing to applicants. Applications were subject to administrative checks and on-farm verification visits and many of the cases which did not qualify for payment had not established evidence of damage to fodder.
796. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of hectares declared and deemed eligible in 2013 to 2015, inclusive, under the basic payment scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13144/16]
View answerThe information requested from Deputy Cahill is listed in the following table.
|
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
|
Declared Area |
4,716, 234.69 |
4,667,384.55 |
4,610,562.41 |
|
Eligible Hectares |
4,748,785.45 |
4,696,874.14 |
4,593,536.38 |
