Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 November 2021
727. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the heading and subheadings in the Revised Estimates which regard the allocation of funding for land use and biodiversity; the purpose of each allocation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57002/21]
View answerThe information in the table below is relevant to the 2021 Revised Estimates. It outlines a range of multi functional schemes intended to support farm incomes but also to support efforts to improve the environment and biodiversity.
Budget 2022 provides a gross Vote of €1.858 billion for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The definitive allocations will be set out in the 2022 Revised Estimates Volume (REV) which will be published later this year.
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Heading and 2021 Allocation in REV 2021 |
Subheading |
Purpose of allocation |
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B.3 Agri-environmental schemes €290.089m |
B3.3 GLAS |
GLAS farmers manage over 250,000 hectares of Low Input Permanent Pasture, Over 60,000 hectares of Traditional Hay Meadows and Protect the quality of over 14,000km of watercourses. They support of the management and grazing of over 228,000 hectares of commonage. |
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B3.4 Locally Led Agri-Environment Schemes |
Funds European Innovation Partnership projects that allow farmers, scientists and other experts to collaborate together to develop new practices that are environmentally friendly and economically sustainable. |
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B3.5 Organic Farming Scheme |
The Organic Farming Scheme provides financial support to farmers to encourage production of organic foods. |
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B3.7 Other Agri Envi Initiatives |
Soil Sampling programme will provide information to farmers on their soil fertility and also soil pathogen assessment. The programme will measure baseline soil carbon levels which will guide future actions to support carbon farming. It will also provide the basis for the next generation of soil-specific nutrient management advice and underpin targeted fertiliser and organic manure applications (right nutrient type, right application rate, right time & right place) across all farming systems in Ireland. |
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B3.9 EURI |
1. Straw Incorporation Measure as a pilot measure in the transitional period of the RDP. The purpose of the measure is to encourage tillage farmers to increase soil organic carbon levels by chopping and incorporating straw from cereal crops. This will sequester carbon in tillage soils, thereby reducing GHG emissions. The incorporation of straw will also have positive impact on soil biology and soil workability. 2. The objective of The Farm Environmental Study (FES) Programme is to develop a national baseline database of farm scale habitat and biodiversity data along with additional environmental parameters. |
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B.4 Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme €250m |
Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme |
The ANC is intended to ensure the continued conservation of the countryside in mountain areas and other less favoured areas through the provision of support to mainly low income farmers who farm in such areas and face significant handicaps deriving from inherent factors such as remoteness, difficult topography and poor soil conditions. |
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B.10 Forestry & Bio-energy €103.243m |
Afforestation Scheme |
Afforestation scheme provides financial support to encourage the planting of trees on land not previously under forest. Increasing the country’s forested area helps to tackle climate change, increases biodiversity and provides sustainable jobs in the rural economy. |
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B.13 Carbon Tax €23m (€20m for REAP and €3m for capital measures focusing on Peat soils) |
Results Based Environment Agri Pilot Programme (REAP). |
REAP is an agri-environment pilot project that pays farmers to maintain and improve the environmental conditions of their land. |
