Written Answers Nos. 764-779
764. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if changes were made to the farmers' charter; if the farming organisations had an input into the changes as agreed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22707/16]
View answerA Farmers’ Charter Review Group was set up in 2014 with a view to agreeing a new Farmers’ Charter of Rights. The Farmers’ Charter Review Group was chaired by an Assistant Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and comprised of senior Department officials and representatives of the main farmer representative organisations.
Following on from positive engagement by all parties, negotiations between my Department and the main farming organisations on a new Farmers’ Charter of Rights concluded on Thursday 11 June 2015 with consensus achieved on the Charter. There have been no changes made to the Charter in the intervening period.
A Farmers’ Charter of Rights Monitoring Committee has been established under an independent chair to monitor agreed targets and standards. This Committee is comprised of representatives of the farm organisations and staff of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Monitoring Committee has met on three occasions since its establishment.
765. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of politically appointed staff working in his Department including the names, roles and salaries of each staff member; in the case of special advisers, their qualifications and experience relevant to their roles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22725/16]
View answerIn response to the Deputy’s question, political staff appointments are in progress and decisions regarding these appointments are imminent.
In accordance with the Ethics legislation, Ethics in Public Office Act 1995 and the Standards in Public Office Act 2001, information relating to staff appointed by me will be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas upon their appointment.
766. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of historical appeal cases in County Mayo that have been affected by the recent High Court decision; his plans to appoint extra staff to the Agriculture Appeals Office in view of the judgment; and his planned approach to the ramifications of the judgment. [22755/16]
View answerThe legal case to which the Deputy refers has not yet reached its conclusion, and as the matter progresses I will be obtaining legal advice as appropriate. Accordingly, issues such as those raised by the Deputy can only be addressed following the completion of the legal process.
767. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of member states that have amended their respective 2014-20 RDPs to create financial instruments to draw down on affordable EU credit lines; if an Irish amendment is being considered to the submission in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22756/16]
View answerI am considering including Financial Instruments (FIs) in Ireland’s 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme (RDP). Financial instruments can take the form of loans, guarantee funds or equity investments and the funding for any such FIs would have to draw on Ireland’s existing RDP allocation of European funding as well as National Exchequer funding. It is also possible to incorporate funding from other sources for such instruments.
In order to include a FI as a measure in the RDP an Ex-Ante Assessment is compulsory under EU regulation. My Department published a request for tender on the 28th of June 2016 for the provision of an Ex-ante Assessment for the use of Financial Instruments (FIs) within Ireland’s European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Operational Programmes. The deadline for submissions is the 25th of July 2016.
Once the Ex-Ante Assessment is done, an agreement must be reached between my Department and any other potential stakeholders/financial institutions on a clear investment strategy that is developed from the gaps, if any, identified in the Ex-Ante Assessment. Following this, a new measure description would have to be drafted and inserted into the RDP by way of an amendment.
As of 13th of June 2016 Estonia is the only Member State that has implemented a Financial Instrument to their 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme. Further information on the state of play of FIs under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), can be found at:
https://www.fi-compass.eu/sites/default/files/publications/Presentation_20160613_Rome_EAFRD_Guido_Castellano.pdf
768. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payments under the areas of natural constraint scheme will issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22803/16]
View answerPayments under the 2016 Areas of Natural Constraints and Areas of Specific Constraints (Island) Scheme can only commence once the rigorous set of checks and controls required by EU regulation are completed. As with previous years, payments for the 2016 scheme are scheduled to begin issuing in the third week of September. This schedule is in line with the timelines agreed in the Farmers’ Charter, and ensures that my Department is amongst the earliest Member States in the EU to commence payment under the scheme each year.
769. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has put proposals to the EU Agriculture Commissioner in relation to the postponement of super-levy fines for 2016 and 2017 in view of the crisis affecting dairy farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22804/16]
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.
With respect to superlevy repayments, the rules governing the EU milk quota regime, including the superlevy system for production above quota, were set at EU level. It is not within the gift of individual Member States to amend these rules.
However at the request of Ireland and some other Member States, the EU Commission introduced a provision last year permitting payment of the levy in three annual instalments, without interest. This was on the understanding that the full amount of the levy was paid to the Commission by the Member State in 2015. Ireland was one of the few Member States to implement this scheme and make it available to our farmers.
As part of the discussions in the run-up to a Council of Agriculture Ministers earlier in 2016, Ireland proposed a further deferral of the payment to 2017 and 2018, to ease the financial burden on liable farmers in 2016. I also raised the matter with Commissioner Phil Hogan directly. However, the European Commission have unequivocally advised that the legal basis for the Regulations underpinning the scheme are no longer in existence and therefore further amendments are not possible. Our clear understanding is that the view of the Commission’s legal services remains that there is no legal basis for any adjustment to the timelines provided for in the relevant regulations.
770. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the GLAS scheme will reopen; the number of persons to be approved for this scheme in 2016 and 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22805/16]
View answerWhen GLAS was approved as part of Ireland’s 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme, the overall target for GLAS was to attract 50,000 farmers into the scheme. To date some 38,000 farmers have been approved into the first two Tranches of GLAS, 26,500 in GLAS 1 and 11,500 in GLAS 2.
I plan to launch Tranche 3 of GLAS (GLAS 3) later this year with a view to maximising the participation rate subject to the available budget for the Scheme. I want to reiterate that when preparing applications for GLAS 3, it is important that farmers, in consultation with their advisers, ensure that the highest standard environmental plans are presented to the Department, to increase their chance of selection under GLAS 3.
771. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to meet at an early date his counterpart in the British Government, with particular reference to the recent EU membership referendum, and the issues that will affect farming and the agrifood sector and the implementation of the CAP; the issues of common concern to farmers throughout all of Ireland and Britain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22806/16]
View answerI note and welcome the recent appointment of Ms. Andrea Leadsom MP as UK Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Given that she has just been appointed, it has not been possible for me to make any plans to meet with her, but I look forward to getting an opportunity to do so in due course. However, at the meeting of Agriculture Ministers yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet Mr George Eustice, recently re-appointed as Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
More generally in terms of the issues that will affect farming and the agri-food sector, and the implementation of the CAP, it is clear that the decision of the UK to leave the EU is one that creates considerable challenges. The UK is by far our largest trading partner. Last year we exported almost €5.1 billion worth of agricultural products. This included more than €1.1 billion in beef products and almost €970 million in dairy products. Ireland is also the UK’s largest destination for its food exports - worth €3.8 billion last year.
This bilateral trade takes place on the basis of harmonised EU rules on animal and public health and labelling, without complex certification, quota limits or customs duties and tariffs. And it is underpinned by the vital support of the CAP budget, to which the UK is a significant net contributor.
Given these linkages, and as the UK is a net food importer, both countries have a strong interest in maintaining a close agri-food trading relationship. In addition, the resilience of the Irish agri-food sector is well recognised, and this, together with the strong commercial relationships built up over years of trading, will help us to negotiate our way though the challenges ahead.
It is important also to bear in mind that the precise implications of the referendum outcome will depend on the trade and other arrangements ultimately negotiated between the EU and the UK. These negotiations may take up to two years, and perhaps longer, and over that period existing arrangements will continue to apply.
Nevertheless, my Department has engaged in detailed contingency planning for the possibility of this result, and has published a summary of the key actions we are taking to address the contingencies arising from the UK’s decision.
The most immediate concerns for exporters centre on Euro-Sterling exchange rates. It should be noted that the fall in the value of Sterling against the Euro, while significant, is not unprecedented. Nevertheless, a sustained period of currency volatility could be of concern. In that regard, the Central Bank of Ireland has pre-established contingency plans to deal with market volatility surrounding the referendum result. The Bank will engage with the Department of Finance and individual financial institutions regarding potential risks. Actions by ECB and other global actors will be monitored closely.
I have also asked the relevant agencies, including Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland, to provide practical guidance to SMEs. Last week Bord Bia announced a number of measures to support food and drink businesses. These measures cover areas such as managing volatility impacts, providing consumer and market insight, deepening customer engagement and extending market reach, with the aim of helping companies maintain their competitiveness. Similar support is also being provided by Enterprise Ireland.
Aside from currency fluctuations, the main areas in which potential impacts are foreseen are in relation to tariffs and trade, the EU budget (and its implications for CAP implementation), regulations and standards, and customs controls and certification, while complex issues also arise for the fisheries sector.
However, we must remember that our trading relationship with the UK is not altered in any way until the negotiation process that will dictate the terms and conditions of the UK’s departure is completed.
In the meantime, and as part of our overall contingency planning, I have taken a number of measures to ensure a sensible, coherent approach is adopted, namely:
- I have established a dedicated unit in my Department to work on all of the issues that I have mentioned;
- I have convened a Consultative Committee of stakeholders, which has already met for the first time, to ensure a full exchange of information as the negotiations proceed;
- I am also ensuring that the response of the relevant agencies is fully coordinated through a contact group established under the Food Wise 2025 High Level Implementation Committee, and
- The Department will continue to feed into the central Contingency Framework being co-ordinated by the Department of the Taoiseach.
772. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive their young farmers scheme top-up payment. [22807/16]
View answerThe person named submitted applications under the 2015 National Reserve and the Young Farmers’ Scheme to my Department. At the time of making the application the person named had applied for a herd number but it had not been allocated to him. The person named has subsequently provided his herd number and the applications under the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme have been processed. Payment is due to issue shortly.
773. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the next meeting of the beef forum will be held; the issues to be discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22832/16]
View answerThe Beef Roundtable forum was established in April 2014 in order to bring all relevant stakeholders together and to facilitate open discussion between industry, farming organisations and others on the strategic path forward for the beef sector. The Forum has met on seven occasions, and has been a useful vehicle for engagement for all those involved in the sector.
As part of the programme for Government, a clear commitment was given to continue the work of the Beef Forum. I have been engaged in an intensive round of discussions with stakeholders since taking office and listening to their views on the future strategic direction of the beef sector.
The next meeting of the Beef Forum is scheduled for this Thursday 21 July 2016. The meeting will continue in the same format as before and the agenda will reflect the current issues of relevance to the strategic direction of the Irish beef sector while providing a forum for sectoral stakeholders to exchange views on these issues. These issues will include climate change, the implementation of the Food Wise 2025 strategy, the Beef Data and Genomics Scheme and the market outlook for Irish beef for the second half of 2016.
774. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress to date in implementing Food Harvest 2020, for each sector provided for in that strategy, published in July 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22833/16]
View answerFood Wise 2025, the new ten year strategy for the agri-food sector published in July last year, replaced Food Harvest 2020. It identifies the opportunities and challenges facing the sector and provides an enabling strategy that will allow the sector to grow and prosper. Food Wise includes more than 400 specific recommendations, spread across the cross-cutting themes of sustainability, innovation, human capital, market development and competitiveness; as well as specific sectoral recommendations.
Earlier this week I launched the first progress report on Food Wise 2025: Steps to Success 2016. Steps to Success highlights the progress achieved one year into the implementation of the Food Wise 2025 strategy. Of the 330 detailed actions which were due to commence in 2015 or 2016, 28% have been achieved or substantial action has been undertaken; and a further 67% have commenced and are progressing well.
I believe that this is a good start and I will press on to get as many actions as possible completed within the next year.
775. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he had discussions with the EU Agriculture Commissioner, and-or with other members of the EU Commission, regarding the need to abolish the EU tariffs on the import of fertiliser; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22834/16]
View answerFarmers across the EU continue to be severely affected by the ongoing difficulties on agricultural markets. The recent packages of support measures from the Commission are welcome, but we should continue to deploy any and all available options that might help to mitigate the effects of these difficulties. Such options should include measures that will help to reduce production costs for farmers.
According to Eurostat, fertiliser is the third most important expenditure item on EU farms, accounting for €19.2bn in 2014. Fertiliser prices have increased significantly in recent years, in part due to the protection provided by the imposition of duties on non-EU imports, while opportunities to manage price risk through hedging mechanisms are limited.
I believe that appropriate action in this area could be of significant benefit to farmers at this very difficult time. In addition to the ten-point package that Ireland proposed in the lead-up to the March Council of Agriculture Ministers, we asked the Commission to consider a temporary suspension of import tariffs on fertilisers.
Other Member States made similar calls, and at the March Council Commissioner Hogan indicated his readiness to raise the matter with Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Pierre Moscovici, and Internal Market Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska. At the April Council in Luxembourg, Commissioner Hogan said that he was following up with his colleagues in an effort to secure their agreement to possible changes.
I am continuing to pursue the matter with the Commission in consultation with my Member State counterparts.
776. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the necessary provisions will be implemented to enable farmers to access low-cost short-term loans, due to serious cash flow pressures at present, as provided for at the EU Agriculture Council in respect of state aid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22835/16]
View answerI am fully aware of the pressures on farmers right now and I have committed to working with all the stakeholders, both at national and EU level, to address these issues and ensure that we continue to have a sustainable and resilient sector. One of my priorities is to support the provision of lower-cost, more flexible finance.
I recently met with the CEOs of the main banks and stressed the need for them to be flexible in the context of increased income volatility. The banks told me that they recognise and are responding to the challenges facing farmers in this regard. I also questioned the banks on the relatively high interest rates for SMEs in Ireland compared with those across Europe.
Access to finance was discussed at the Dairy Forum in June, with an exchange of views with the main banks now a part of the agenda at each meeting. Before the meeting I formally launched the Dairy Forum’s ’Financial Management Initiative’, a programme of cash flow and financial management training and advice for dairy farmers. I believe that equipping farmers with better financial planning skills is essential and I am encouraging all farmers to engage with this initiative.
Access to finance was also discussed by the Food Wise 2025 High Level Implementation Committee in June, and we heard from representatives of the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) and the Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF). Both are now active in the market and my Department, in cooperation with all the other relevant State bodies, will continue to explore additional funding mechanisms for farmers, the agri-food sector and for SMEs generally.
In this regard, my Department recently published a request for tender to procure an ex-ante assessment to assess any current failures in the access to finance market in Ireland. This is a first step towards the potential introduction of Financial Instruments under the EAFRD Rural Development Programme and the EMFF Seafood Development Operational Programme.
In relation to the flexibility announced by the EU Commission in regard to State aid provisions as part of the response to price volatility, including the possibility of a measure on bridging liquidity gaps, I am working with all the financial institutions, particularly SBCI, to identify potential solutions to providing working capital finance for farmers with liquidity issues.
777. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proposals he will make at the next EU Agriculture Council in respect of the need to support the dairy sector through its present difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22836/16]
View answerAt yesterday’s Council of Agriculture Ministers, the Commission announced a €500m support package for EU farmers. This is to be divided into two tranches, the first €150m will be reserved for an EU-wide scheme compensating farmers who reduce their milk output over certain reference periods towards the end of 2016.
For the other element of the package, €350m is set aside for Member State initiatives with fixed allocations per MS. Ireland will be allocated €11m. My firm view, which I expressed strongly at Council, is that we must have maximum flexibility at Member State level to use this funding as we wish and in a way which helps farmers while delivering maximum value for money. There are many details yet to be worked out on both elements of the package and we are awaiting further details from the Commission.
The outcome of yesterday’s Council was a considerable success from Ireland’s point of view. Firstly the threat of the available funding being entirely conditional on supply control has not materialised. Secondly there will be a significant degree of flexibility on the use of the remaining 70% of the package, though the detail has yet to be finalised.
The third thing is that there is now agreement to allow Member States to pay advance payments on the BPS and the RDP in October this year. This will allow advance payments of 70% in the basic payment and up to 85% for RDP schemes. Advance payments help on-farm cashflow and have been requested by Ireland on a number of occasions. In addition to these measures, there was also a strong political commitment from the Commission to extend the market support measures beyond the current time scales into February 2017. Our focus now will turn to the implementation of the package and my department is in close contact with the Commission on next steps.
778. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of super trawlers in Irish waters (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22837/16]
View answerUnder Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 (the new Common Fisheries Policy basic regulation), changes to fisheries policy involving access or restriction to fishing opportunities or fishing areas come within the sole competency of the EU. Only the EU Commission may propose changes and any such proposal must be adopted under the co-decision process by the EU Parliament and EU Council. Member States, in consultation with the Commission, Member States affected and stakeholders are only permitted to introduce non-discriminatory measures for the conservation and management of fish stocks within the 12 mile zone subject to compliance with policy and procedures set down in the Common Fisheries Policy Regulations.
The monitoring and control of fishing vessels within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone are matters for the Irish control authorities. Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006, all operational issues of this nature concerning sea fisheries control are, as a matter of law, exclusively for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service. The Minister is precluded from getting involved in operational matters including in relation to law enforcement.
In relation to the overall framework for fisheries control in the EU, in October 2009 a new regulation dealing with fisheries controls was adopted. Council Regulation 1224/2009 establishes a Community control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy. Control and inspection is now focused where it is most effective through an approach based on systematic risk analysis. Inspection procedures are standardised and harmonised for all stages in the market chain, including transport and marketing.
The Control Regulations were introduced so that there is a common EU level playing field and to provide for an effective range of controls across EU waters.
The SFPA and the Naval Service through the Fisheries Monitoring Centre have monitored the movements of these vessels when in our Exclusive Fisheries Zone, using the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), Automatic Identification System (AIS) and declared catches through Electronic Reporting System (ERS). The SFPA is reliant on the seagoing fishery patrol activity of the Naval Service to verify compliance of vessels not landing into Ireland.
Further details of monitoring and control of fishing activities by all vessels within Ireland's 200 miles Exclusive Fisheries Zone may be sought from the SFPA who are the competent authority for Sea Fisheries Control within Ireland's Exclusive Fishery Zone.
779. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if additional resources will be provided to Bord Bia to assist client companies exporting to Northern Ireland and Britain due to difficulties arising from the weakening of the value of sterling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22845/16]
View answerBord Bia is prioritising supports for client companies exporting to the UK, which remains Ireland’s largest market for food and drink products, accounting for 41% of exports. Their strategy to support the industry in the current uncertain environment is focused on maintaining competitiveness, addressing in particular:
- The provision of regular information updates
- Advice on volatility, for example a Managing Currency Volatility Workshop on 20 July
- The provision of consumer and market insight
- Market development and diversification, including buyer events
- Market communications and promotion
Bord Bia is in close contact with companies seeking assistance in developing the skills required to manage their way through the current difficulties. A Bord Bia Brexit briefing on 8 July was attended by more than 180 sector representatives, from farm leaders to major exporting companies and SMEs. I have asked Bord Bia to provide practical guidance in particular to assist SMEs in dealing with short term marketing challenges. The level of resources required will be monitored in the light of emerging issues. In the meantime, my Department and its agencies are working closely with producers and industry interests and I have established a new consultative committee, which will engage with each of the relevant agencies and stakeholders to consider the areas at greatest risk.
