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Thursday, 15 Jul 2021

Written Answers Nos. 22-36

Environmental Policy

Questions (22)

Michael McNamara

Question:

22. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will immediately lift the restrictions on peat harvesting for 2021 to avoid a shortage of supply in 2021 which will result in job losses and business closures in the midlands and west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38651/21]

View answer

Written answers

In relation to peat extraction, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has no involvement in its regulation. This is a planning process under the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and an Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) license process, under the remit of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Following the publication of the review of the use of Peat Moss in the Horticultural Industry report, I am aware that Minister of State Malcolm Noonan proposed the establishment of a working group to include representatives from relevant Government Departments and State Agencies, Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations and industry stakeholders under an independent chairperson to examine the issues identified during the review. In this respect, the working group are addressing the key issues raised in the report itself, including future use of peat by the horticulture sector. The independent working group sent an interim report to Minister Noonan at the end of May for his consideration. Minister Noonan and his officials are currently examining the report.

In addition to these developments, the Department is actively looking at alternatives to peat and has funded two research projects to date. It has also recently sought further research be conducted here to explore alternatives to peat based growing media for horticultural production in this area in its latest Research Call for 2021. These must be available, affordable and sustainable and meet quality as well as environmental requirements.

The Department also provides a support to the horticulture industry through the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Horticulture Sector. Financial support is available to assist growers and businesses through grant aid for capital investments in specialised plant and equipment including renewable energy, as well as technology adoption specific to commercial horticulture production. A 50% budget increase to €9 million has been secured for 2021 reflecting the importance of the sector. This Scheme is 100% funded by the Irish Government.

In addition, the Department administers the EU Producer Organisation Scheme for Fruit and Vegetables which allows growers jointly market their production in order to strengthen the position of producers in the marketplace.

Aquaculture Industry

Questions (23)

Holly Cairns

Question:

23. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on introducing legislation to prohibit the granting of aquaculture licences within or adjacent to special areas of conservation and marine protected areas. [38151/21]

View answer

Written answers

The Department considers all applications for aquaculture licences in accordance with the provisions of the 1997 Fisheries (Amendment) Act, the 1933 Foreshore Act and applicable National and EU legislation. The licensing process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisors as well as various Statutory Consultees. The legislation also provides for a period of Public Consultation. In addition, the Department must adhere to a wide range of regulatory requirements and other legislation which impact on the licensing process.

The EU Habitats and Birds Directives have resulted in the designation of certain bays by the National Parks and Wildlife Services as 'Special Areas of Conservation' and/or 'Special Protection Areas' for birds. These are known as 'Natura 2000' sites and most aquaculture takes place within them, or adjacent to them.

A key component of the Aquaculture Licensing process is a series of measures designed to address the impact of aquaculture on the environment. This series of measures is known as "Appropriate Assessment". All applications for aquaculture licences in Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas (Natura 2000 sites) are required to be appropriately assessed for the purpose of environmental compliance with the EU Birds and Habitats Directives.

The Appropriate Assessment process is managed in the main by the Marine Institute via environmental/scientific contractors commissioned by the Institute to carry out the necessary field work and desk analysis. To date, the Marine Institute has submitted Appropriate Assessments in respect of 35 bays to the Department.

My scientific and technical advisors, based on current scientific knowledge and best practice, have not recommended any blanket prohibition such as that envisaged in the Deputy's question. 

Common Agricultural Policy

Questions (24)

Martin Kenny

Question:

24. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if mountain land, hill land particularly commonage will be treated the same in the next CAP for those farmers who farm this land and claim BPS, ANC and GLAS on this type of land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38165/21]

View answer

Written answers

Payments under the current CAP are based on the principle of the eligible hectare. An eligible hectare is required to draw down a BPS entitlement or an area based payment under the other schemes managed by the Department, such as GLAS and ANC.

An eligible hectare is an "agricultural area" with an "agricultural activity" being carried out on that area. In broad terms, this means that, for permanent grassland, it must be capable of supporting an agricultural activity such as grazing livestock and this activity must be carried out on an annual basis. Currently, no distinction is drawn between hill land and low land with regard to eligibility for payment.

Under the new CAP, the Department will, through the CAP Strategic Plan, be submitting to DG AGRI the new definitions for the eligible hectare that would apply from 2023 on. The definitions will build on the "eligible hectare" definition with a proposal from the Department to also allow up to 30% of the land parcel consist of features beneficial to the climate and environment such as scrub and habitat areas. Another element of the CAP agreement at the June Council includes a provision that it may be a requirement for an agricultural activity only every second year. The "eligible hectare" definition applies to all land with no distinction between hill land or low land.

Common Agricultural Policy

Questions (25)

Brian Leddin

Question:

25. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the way in which he will ensure that the measures in the new Common Agricultural Policy will maximise delivery of greenhouse gas reductions across all farms in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37088/21]

View answer

Written answers

I welcome the opportunity to update the house on the development of the CAP Strategic Plan and how it can contribute to the delivery of greenhouse gas reductions across all farms.

Department officials and I have been consulting and working closely with stakeholders, other government departments and agencies, and technical experts over the past year to ensure that the interventions proposed in the new CAP Strategic Plan plan will maximise greenhouse gas emissions, protect the environment, and enhance biodiversity and water quality.

In particular, the new eco-scheme will provide an opportunity for all farmers to participate. Other measures proposed include a National Agri-Environment Scheme, Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme, Organic Farming Scheme, Protein Aid Scheme and on-farm investments supporting the achievement of environment targets. These will assist in meeting the targets outlined for a climate-neutral food system by 2050, by reducing biogenic methane levels, reducing ammonia emissions, reducing nutrient losses to water, prioritising biodiversity on farmed area and increasing the area of agricultural land farmed organically.

I will also shortly launch a public consultation on the draft interventions proposed and will be engaging with stakeholders across the country to hear their views. I continue to engage with stakeholders, other Government Departments and State Agencies to design these interventions to ensure they give quantifiable benefits and contribute to achieving optimal greenhouse gas emission reductions across all farms.

Forestry Sector

Questions (26)

Aindrias Moynihan

Question:

26. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if measures are being taken to progress the wait list for felling licences to ensure that supplies of timber can be increased in the home market to ensure no further increases in timber products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38719/21]

View answer

Written answers

The situation with forestry licensing is a key priority for the Department, as well as for me and Minister of State Pippa Hackett who has responsibility for the sector. I fully understand the seriousness of the situation with many landowners in terms of the delays encountered and the various supply issues with the sector and Minister of State Hackett and I are engaging intensively with all parties to try to resolve the issues.

Many measures have been put in train to progress felling licences within the Department. Approximately 75% of homegrown roundwood that is processed by the sawmills in Ireland comes from Coillte forests and approximately 25% from private forests and it is therefore important that both Coillte and the private sector have sufficient licences to harvest and supply the sawmills. I can report that Coillte is fully licensed for this year.

In relation to the private sector supply we have increased substantially the number of felling licences in recent months due to several system improvements and continued investment in ecology resources. This resulted in June being the highest month for private felling licences in over 5 years.

To date this year (9th July), 1,836 forestry licences have issued – 1,164 tree felling; 308 afforestation and 364 forest road works licences. This represents 40% of the target of 4,500 licences to issue in 2021. The afforestation licences cover 2,695ha of potential new forestry. This is an increase of 21% on the area licensed to the same date in 2020 and a 5% increase in the number of afforestation licences issued.

Forest road works licence covering 151km of forest roads have issued to date. This far exceeds the Climate Action Plan target for 2021 of 125km of forest roads licensed.

The volume of tree felling licences issued has also increased substantially and is 77% ahead of the same point last year. A total volume of 3.594 million cubic metres has been licensed which is a very encouraging figure.

As part of Project Woodland we are examining all options. This includes an end to end review of our systems and processes to be carried out by an external systems analyst that has already started work on this review. In addition, a review of our legal and regulatory processes will be carried out. This review, to be carried out by an independent expert, will include an examination of experiences in other Member States in licensing forestry activities and how they comply with EU legislation. And from this what lessons we can bring in to our licensing systems.

It is of course essential that any regulatory changes fully comply with EU law.

I would also like to remind the Deputy that I and previous Ministers have brought in significant legislation in order to assist with the ongoing situation in the forestry sector. This includes SI 31 of 2020 that amongst other things allowed the Department to carry out Appropriate Assessments without the requirement of a Natura Impact Statement from the applicant. Also as you are aware SI 417 of 2020 and SI 418 of 2020 was signed into law and we brought in to primary legislation commencing the Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 to bring in a range of measures largely to allow for a more efficient running of the Forestry Appeals Committee and to bring our systems in line with the planning process.

Overall, we are making progress and I am hopeful that we can maintain this momentum.

Animal Welfare

Questions (27)

Steven Matthews

Question:

27. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he has taken to improve the welfare of animals during his first nine months in office; and the plans he has to build on these improvements over the lifetime of this Government. [37090/21]

View answer

Written answers

During my first nine months in office, a number of significant animal welfare related measures have been advanced and delivered upon.

In December 2020, I announced record funding of €3.2 million to animal welfare organisations - an increase of over 10% on 2019. The Programme for Government includes an undertaking to double our funding on animal welfare in line with policy priorities, and I am fully committed to this undertaking.

In February, I launched Ireland’s first dedicated Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025. The Strategy is being backed by resources and expertise within the Department, and will involve dialogue and cooperation with other Government Departments and Agencies, with stakeholders and with civil society. Furthermore, I established a dedicated Animal Welfare Division within the Department earlier this year to drive the initiatives outlined in the strategy.

This strategy takes a ‘One Health, One Welfare’ approach, acknowledging and valuing the interconnections and inter-dependencies between human, animal and environmental health, and taking an evidence-led approach to policy making, target-setting, monitoring and evaluation.

The strategy sets out broad principles as to how we will improve animal welfare in Ireland over the coming years. It describes a framework for engagement and collaboration that will direct future activities - benefiting both animals and Irish society. A detailed action plan with specific, measurable indicators is being developed, and the Department will set up a High-Level Monitoring Group which will meet biannually to monitor and report on progress.

A number of initiatives identified in the strategy have been progressed. The draft general scheme of the Prohibition on Fur Farming 2021 legislation was approved by Government at its meeting on 18th June 2021.

The Control of Horses 1996 legislation is under review and the Department continues to support a number of urban horse projects nationwide, bringing education on all aspects of equine welfare to people in disadvantaged areas.

The first Chair of Animal Welfare & Veterinary Ethics at the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine has been appointed, supported by the Department, contributing to scientific leadership at a national level.

The Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council has been re-launched, and a new Advisory Council on Companion Animal Welfare has been established and will convene in the coming weeks.

There is a renewed emphasis on animal based indicators to assess welfare standards. For example, officials are developing indicators to help reduce the prevalence of tail docking in pigs while supporting the development of high welfare outdoor pig and poultry production systems. They are also working with Teagasc to mainstream the ‘One Health, One Welfare’ approach in all relevant research projects, training and education programmes.

The Department is conducting a review of identification and traceability systems with an equine census to be finalised by the end of this year and work has begun on a new system to improve greyhound traceability led by Rásaíocht Con Éireann.

Finally, on live exports, following a suite of new measures introduced in 2020-21, the Department continues to enhance the monitoring of welfare standards for all live animals exported.

Horticulture Sector

Questions (28)

Martin Browne

Question:

28. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the alternatives to horticultural peat identified by his Department; and his views on whether those alternatives will be sufficient to replace horticultural peat when current stock runs out in September 2021. [38018/21]

View answer

Written answers

In relation to peat extraction, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has no involvement in its regulation. This is a planning process under the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and an Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) license process, under the remit of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Regarding the future use of peat moss in the horticulture sector and alternatives to peat, Malcolm Noonan T.D., Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, published a report on the review of the use of Peat Moss in the Horticultural Industry. After the publication of this report, Minister Noonan proposed the establishment of a working group to include representatives from relevant Government Departments and State Agencies, Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations and industry stakeholders under an independent chairperson to examine the issues identified during the review. In this respect, the working group will address the key issues raised in the report itself, including future use of peat by the horticulture sector and alternatives to peat. The independent working group sent an interim report to Minister Noonan at the end of May for his consideration. Minister Noonan and his officials are currently examining the report. The working group is now specifically reviewing alternatives to peat as part of a future report to Minister Noonan.

In addition, the Department is actively looking at alternatives to peat and has funded two research projects to date. It has also recently sought further research be conducted here to explore alternatives to peat based growing media for horticultural production in this area in its latest Research Call for 2021. These must be available, affordable and sustainable and meet quality as well as environmental requirements.

The Department also provides a support to the horticulture industry through the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Horticulture Sector. Financial support is available to assist growers and businesses through grant aid for capital investments in specialised plant and equipment including renewable energy, as well as technology adoption specific to commercial horticulture production. A 50% budget increase to €9 million has been secured for 2021 reflecting the importance of the sector. This Scheme is 100% funded by the Irish Government.

In addition, the Department administers the EU Producer Organisation Scheme for Fruit and Vegetables which allows growers jointly market their production in order to strengthen the position of producers in the marketplace.

Agriculture Schemes

Questions (29)

Martin Kenny

Question:

29. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to implement the new REAP scheme as the environmental scheme in the next CAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38164/21]

View answer

Written answers

The Department is currently developing a new agri-environment climate measure for inclusion in Ireland’s draft Strategic Plan required under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with, as stated in the Programme for Government, some elements being piloted in the transitional phase between the CAP programming periods.

The Results-based Environment-Agri Pilot (REAP) is the means by which those elements are being piloted, and it is currently proposed that the two actions in REAP will form part of the wider menu of options offered to farmers in the new agri-environment climate measure (AECM). REAP is an innovative and farmer-friendly pilot that will deliver an important income boost for farmers while also developing knowledge of results-based payments, and the way in which those payments may be maximised. It will help the Department, and indeed farmers and their advisors, to test some innovative actions and results-based scoring, with a view to including those actions in the next AECM.

The scheme is currently being implemented on the ground and the first of the scorecards are starting to be returned by advisors on behalf of scheme participants. I was delighted to see such strong interest in REAP with over 11,000 applications received. It shows that farmers are keen on this approach.

A key factor in the design is the increased environmental ambition required under the new CAP. The experience gained from the agri-environment climate measure in the Rural Development Plan 2014-2020, with the Green Low Carbon Agri-environment Scheme (GLAS), and the locally-led projects funded by the Department is informing the design process, as will the lessons learnt from REAP. The Department is also engaging with the CAP consultative committee, which comprises of a wide range of stakeholders, on elements of the Green Architecture.

My clear intention is to deliver an agri-environmental climate scheme that is ambitious in terms of rewarding farmers financially while protecting the environment and contributing to climate targets.

Forestry Sector

Questions (30)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

30. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of felling licences yet to be approved per county in tabular form; and the reason for the delay. [38494/21]

View answer

Written answers

The delays in issuing forestry licences is a pressing one which is impacting the sector significantly. Along with Minister of State Pippa Hackett who has responsibility for the sector, we have devoted considerable efforts towards resolving it. The reasons for the current backlog are well known. The Department was obliged to make significant changes to the forestry licensing system due to European Court of Justice and Irish law rulings relating to the protection of European sites. This led directly to most forestry projects being screened in for Appropriate Assessment.

This has been very challenging to implement and resulted in a requirement for much greater ecological input into licensing and to a delay in issuing licences, while new procedures were introduced and additional IT, ecology and inspectorate resources were put in place. Significant resources and investment have been devoted to implementing these new procedures and I have introduced a framework under Project Woodland towards resolving the entire licensing issue.

There are 4,487 felling licences on hand, of which 1,764 are new Coillte applications received in March. I completely accept that this we need to address the number on hand, and the number of licences issued recently show that we are making some progress in this regard. Indeed, the number of private tree felling licences issued in June is the highest monthly figure for over five years. The Department has now issued 1,835 tree felling licences this year, 51% of which are to private individuals.

This reflects recent improvements made to the system for the systems for the preparation of Appropriate Assessment Screening Determinations, Appropriate Assessment Reports and Appropriate Assessment Determinations. Currently, these improvements are only applied to private tree felling licence applications and our ecologists are working mostly on these felling applications in advance of the system being developed further to assist with forest road works and afforestation licence applications.

Initiatives under Project Woodland will bring further improvements in licensing efficiency and output. There are recommendations with the Project Board, which oversees the Working Groups, for such initiatives, including proposals for a pre-application process and an environmental grant. A business system analyst is conducing a review of the licensing process. Furthermore, the Project Board Group has agreed that a regulatory review of the licensing system be carried out. and that an independent expert do this work.

We are making progress and I am hopeful that further gains in efficiency will be possible due to these proposals.

A breakdown by country of the felling licences on hand is provided below.

Counties

Felling Licences on hand

Carlow

80

Cavan

124

Clare

312

Cork

420

Donegal

239

Dublin

48

Galway

301

Kerry

286

Kildare

76

Kilkenny

165

Laois

172

Leitrim

153

Limerick

199

Longford

51

Louth

43

Mayo

206

Meath

89

Monaghan

34

Offaly

123

Roscommon

126

Sligo

131

Tipperary

418

Waterford

215

Westmeath

95

Wexford

129

Wicklow

252

Total

4,487

Aquaculture Industry

Questions (31)

Holly Cairns

Question:

31. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the granting of a licence for a salmon farm at Shot Head, Bantry Bay, County Cork. [38148/21]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy should be aware that the decision to grant the aquaculture licence referred to was made on 29th June by the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB).

ALAB is an entirely independent Board and decisions in relation to the granting of an aquaculture licence in this instance are entirely a matter for ALAB. The decision of that Board and extensive documentation in support of the Board’s determination has been published on the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board’s website (www.alab.ie). I would urge all interested parties to familiarise themselves with the detailed information publicly available on the website.

Given the independent status of ALAB and the fact that there is currently a three-month window from the date of the decision in which that decision can be judicially reviewed, it would not be appropriate for me to me to comment on the Board’s determination in this matter.

Environmental Policy

Questions (32)

Seán Canney

Question:

32. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on lifting the restrictions on horticultural peat harvesting for 2021 to avoid a shortage of supply for 2021 which will result in job losses and businesses closures in the regions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37227/21]

View answer

Written answers

In relation to peat extraction, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has no involvement in its regulation. This is a planning process under the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and an Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) license process, under the remit of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment.

Following the publication of the review of the use of Peat Moss in the Horticultural Industry report, I am aware that Minister of State Malcolm Noonan proposed the establishment of a working group to include representatives from relevant Government Departments and State Agencies, Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations and industry stakeholders under an independent chairperson to examine the issues identified during the review. In this respect, the working group are addressing the key issues raised in the report itself, including future use of peat by the horticulture sector. The independent working group sent an interim report to Minister Noonan at the end of May for his consideration. Minister Noonan and his officials are currently examining the report.

In addition to these developments, the Department is actively looking at alternatives to peat and has funded two research projects to date. It has also recently sought further research be conducted here to explore alternatives to peat based growing media for horticultural production in this area in its latest Research Call for 2021. These must be available, affordable and sustainable and meet quality as well as environmental requirements.

The Department also provides a support to the horticulture industry through the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Horticulture Sector. Financial support is available to assist growers and businesses through grant aid for capital investments in specialised plant and equipment including renewable energy, as well as technology adoption specific to commercial horticulture production. A 50% budget increase to €9 million has been secured for 2021 reflecting the importance of the sector. This Scheme is 100% funded by the Irish Government.

In addition, the Department administers the EU Producer Organisation Scheme for Fruit and Vegetables which allows growers jointly market their production in order to strengthen the position of producers in the marketplace.

Common Agricultural Policy

Questions (33)

Alan Dillon

Question:

33. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to ensure farm safety and farmer wellbeing is incorporated in the next Common Agricultural Policy; the status of the preparations by his Department in advance of the next CAP being implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38565/21]

View answer

Written answers

As the Deputy will be aware, at the end of June there was general agreement on the CAP Reform proposals by Agriculture Ministers. The next CAP Strategic Plan is currently under development in the Department and it is through this that new schemes will be put in place. The SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats) and Needs assessment process has been completed and Health and Safety has been identified as an area that requires further attention.

I am working very closely with my officials and my colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to provide indicative funding for co-financing of the rural development aspects of the next CAP plan. I will be engaging in extensive discussions with stakeholders throughout the summer to hear their views. I will also continue to consult widely on the content of the plan with the key stakeholders, through the Stakeholder Consultative Committee. The Deputy should note that full details of the development of the Cap Strategic Plan to date, including consultation documentation is available on my Department's section of the gov.ie website at gov.ie/cap.

Forestry Sector

Questions (34)

James O'Connor

Question:

34. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on the coverage of commercial forestry and the further plans to increase same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38602/21]

View answer

Written answers

Forestry meets many societal needs and is a sector I fully support. It provides renewable timber products for both the export and domestic market, it is an important source of employment in rural Ireland, it contributes to our climate change and biodiversity objectives and affords people throughout the country a much appreciated outside space to enjoy. Productive forestry or commercial forestry is of course an important economic driver and is generally in Ireland considered to mean conifers particularly Sitka spruce. While broadleaves are important for biodiversity, conifers make up the bulk of timber that is processed through sawmills.

Harvested wood products are a key part of our climate policies in Ireland as they can serve to replace fossil fuel based products particularly in construction for example. These products will be derived form conifer plantations and highlight how our forestry policy must have a place for all types of trees.

The most up-to-date source of statistics in Ireland is Forest Statistics Ireland 2021 which Minister of State Hackett launched last month. It is from that report, informed by the National Forest Inventory, I can say that of the 770,000 hectares of forests in Ireland, some 71.2% are conifers and 28.8% are broadleaves.

There are substantial stands of commercial forestry due for harvesting in the coming years, The recent timber forecast predicts that the annual potential roundwood supply, will increase from 4.9 million in 2021 to 7.9 million cubic metres by 2035, followed by a small decrease to remain constant at circa 7.6 million cubic metres up to 2040.

While this is the case, it is our overall aim to increase forest cover in Ireland from 11% to 18%, and to achieve 8,000 hectares per annum. I am more than aware that we have been falling well short of this target in recent years, and while there may be many reasons for this, one contributory factor is undoubtedly delays in issuing licences. We are tackling the current backlog through the Project Woodland initiative and we have seen increases in the number of licences issued in recent months.

Looking to the future, the development of a new Forest Strategy is underway in Working Group 2, under Project Woodland. A public and stakeholder engagement process will take place later this year to inform the development of the new Forest Strategy and will also inform the next National Forestry Programme which is expected to come into effect from 2023. I encourage all those interested in the shape and content of forest policy in Ireland to engage with this public consultation process once it is initiated.

Common Agricultural Policy

Questions (35)

Rose Conway-Walsh

Question:

35. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he plans to include in the CAP Strategic Plan in order to redistribute funding to smaller farms and farms on marginalised and or designated lands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38561/21]

View answer

Written answers

The aim of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is to all support farmers across the community to help them produce safe, nutritious and quality foods. The redistributive mechanisms currently in place under CAP Pillar I seek to create a more even payment landscape and target funds where they are needed most. These redistributive mechanisms are a core EU policy and are set to continue into the new CAP from 2023. The development of Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) involves a number of stages, including SWOT analysis, needs assessment, intervention design, financial allocations, target setting and governance systems. The draft CSP will also be subject to an ex-ante evaluation, Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment including a public consultation on the draft CSP and draft Environmental Report.

I continue to engage extensively with stakeholders on the future of CAP. Consultations on the development of the CSP will continue via the CAP Consultative Committee, which comprises representatives of the main stakeholders including farm bodies, NGOs, industry representatives and academia. This Committee has met on 18 occasions and further meetings are planned.

The Presidency Compromise package include a suite of measures which will enable us to ensure the fair implementation of redistribution measures such as capping, convergence and Complementary Redistribution of Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS). The agreement strikes the right balance between ensuring a fair distribution of payments between farmers and achieving a higher level of environmental and climate ambition. It also provides Member States with the flexibility required to implement the CAP in a way that best suits their national circumstances. Delivering flexibility was one of my key objectives from the outset and I am happy to have achieved this.

While agreement has been reached, further work remains on certain technical details of the proposed reforms. I expect to shortly bring a memo to government and launch a public consultation on the draft interventions proposed for the CAP Strategic Plan. I will also continue to engage with stakeholders as we develop our CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027.

Agriculture Industry

Questions (36)

Matt Shanahan

Question:

36. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine her views on supporting agri-food development in rural and regional Ireland as a building block to sustainable community development (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27886/21]

View answer

Written answers

The Deputy will be aware that the matter for which details have been supplied has been the subject of legal proceedings and, therefore, I do not propose to comment on that specific case.

However, I would like to outline the current and forthcoming actions and supports to ensure the continued development and prosperity of the agri-food sector in the decade ahead and supporting our rural and coastal economies.

The Irish agri-food sector is Ireland’s oldest and largest indigenous industry. In 2020, the sector accounted for almost 7% of GNI and 9% of exports in value terms. It employs approximately 163,600 people, representing 7.1% of total employment. Outside of Dublin and the mid-east region, the sector provides between 10% and 14% of employment. Primary producers are at the heart of the agri-food system. Along with the other elements of the sector, including our dynamic and innovative food and drink industry, they make a vital contribution to sustainable community development.

A new ten-year Agri-Food Strategy to 2030, due to be published shortly, will out a strong vision for the sustainable development of the agri-food sector in the decade ahead. The development of the new Strategy is a key commitment of the Programme for Government and of the Government's rural development policy, “Our Rural Future 2021 to 2025”.

I also recently published the Department's Statement of Strategy 2021-2024 alongside an Action Plan for 2021, which outlines 75 actions to further develop a sustainable, innovative and competitive agri-food, forestry and seafood sector.

In the context of the agri-food sector’s contribution to rural and regional Ireland, it is also worth noting that the Department makes direct payments to Irish farmers of almost €1.9 billion annually, under CAP and national schemes. In addition, it funds research, advisory and training supports which directly benefit Irish farmers, and, along with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, co-funds a number of preferential loan schemes to the benefit of primary producers. Farmers also benefit significantly from a range of agri-taxation measures, which are particularly focused to support land mobility and generational renewal.

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