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Brexit Supports

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 February 2022

Thursday, 10 February 2022

Questions (136)

Pauline Tully

Question:

136. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his proposals to support primary producers via the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. [7074/22]

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Written answers

The Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) aims to provide financial support to the Member States, regions and sectors most affected by Brexit to deal with the adverse economic, social, territorial and, where appropriate, environmental consequences. Ireland, as the Member State most affected, has received a significant allocation of over €1 billion, or just over 20% of the entire Reserve.

The Designated Body for managing and deciding on the Reserve in Ireland is the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and it is co-ordinating Ireland's overall policy position on the BAR. The eligibility criteria set by the EU to qualify expenditure under the Reserve are stringent, and any proposed expenditure must demonstrate a direct link to negative impacts arising from Brexit.

Within my Department to date, €40 million has been allocated in 2022 for Brexit-related purposes, of which €32 million has been allocated to the fisheries sector, €1 million to the horticultural sector and €7 million to fund an Enterprise Ireland capital investment scheme for meat and dairy processing. This investment is being used to fund development of new products and markets as a consequence of Brexit. It is my hope that this investment will be used to return stronger returns to our farmers and fishers.

This scheme will support investments aimed at product and market diversification, and is jointly funded by my Department and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. It is expected that the €40 million of funding as outlined, will be claimed by DPER as eligible for funding from the BAR.

My Department continues to closely monitor the impacts of Brexit on the agri-food and fisheries sectors, and to engage closely with DPER in the context of evaluating what impacts may qualify for further support from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve.

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