Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 January 2017
1411. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total expenditure on the rural development programme, RDP, for each of the years 2014 to 2016, broken down by schemes (details supplied), in tabular form; the reason for the low spend to date on the RDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1028/17]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is set out below:
Of the schemes listed by the Deputy there was no expenditure for the Knowledge Transfer Scheme in the years listed.
|
Title of Scheme |
2014 Outturn €000 |
2015 Outturn €000 |
2016 Provisional Outturn €000 |
|
Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme |
194,238 |
205,906 |
206,433 |
|
Beef Data and Genomics Programme |
21,751 |
34,692 |
61,896 |
|
AEOS |
60,773 |
79,801 |
32,200 |
|
GLAS |
0 |
11,453 |
102,615 |
|
Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme |
16,456 |
24,830 |
7,836 |
|
Early Retirement Scheme |
10,523 |
7,143 |
4,406 |
|
Organic Farming Schemes |
0 |
7,969 |
8,018 |
|
REPS |
139,549 |
32,009 |
3,517 |
|
Locally Led Environmental Schemes |
0 |
0 |
1,973 |
|
Technical Assistance |
140 |
122 |
902 |
|
Collaborative Farming |
0 |
80 |
339 |
|
Speciality Foods Scheme |
36 |
36 |
33 |
|
Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Disease |
0 |
0 |
228 |
|
Totals |
443,466 |
404,041 |
430,396 |
Please note that the REPS headings for each of 2014, 2015 and 2016 include expenditure of almost €2 million on the Agriculture Catchment Programme and Environmental Awareness initiatives, which are not co-funded under RDP.
Expenditure in 2016 for a number of schemes funded under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme was lower than the estimate provision. This was particularly the case in:
- Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme; a lower than anticipated number of farmers holding TAMS approvals submitted claims for completed investments.
- GLAS: Expenditure in GLAS was for the first full year of the Scheme and payments are continuing in 2017 as compliance information/verification is received from participants. GLAS is a 5 year scheme co-funded by the EU under the RDP 2014-2020 and participating farmers will be paid in full for their contracts over the period of the implementation of the RDP.
- AEOS: A number of participants from AEOS transferring to the GLAS scheme for 2016-2020 reduced expenditure in 2016. Furthermore, in certain circumstances the processing of the final year payment of a multi-year AEOS contract is administratively complex and it was not possible to complete the necessary procedures in time for payment to issue in 2016 for a significant number of AEOS 2 participants. It is expected that these will be paid in the coming weeks.
€606m has been provided for RDP schemes in 2017 when expenditure on virtually all schemes is anticipated will increase from the 2016 levels. The largest additional expenditure will be in GLAS where participants in the 3rd Tranche will become eligible for payments for the first time, and in both the Knowledge Transfer scheme and the Animal Welfare Scheme for Sheep participants where the first payments will be made. Increased expenditure is also projected for TAMS, Organic Farming Scheme and Locally led Environmental Schemes.
