Written Answers Nos. 194-203
194. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the Brexit supports provided by his Department for the agri-foods industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25999/22]
View answerMy Department has introduced a range of measures, across a range of sectors, to help farmers, fishers and agri-food businesses to respond to the challenges posed by Brexit.
From a fisheries perspective, I have announced a number of measures in keeping with the recommendations of the Seafood Task Force, including a €32.7 million investment in public marine infrastructure around the Irish coast, voluntary tie-up schemes amounting to a total of €34 million, and a €45 million Seafood Processing Capital Support Scheme.
In late 2021, the Tánaiste and I announced a €70 million Capital Investment Scheme for the Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products, which will enable companies in the meat and dairy sectors to develop and diversify in response to Brexit. Earlier this week, I announced a €3 million scheme for the seed potato sector, and the potential for other supports across all sectors is continuing to be examined.
In addition, my Department, in partnership with other Government Departments and with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, has put in place a number of financial support mechanisms for farmers, fishers and agri-food businesses to support them in navigating the uncertainties created by Brexit.
Most recently, the Brexit Impact Loan Scheme, launched late last year, provides loans to Brexit-impacted Irish businesses for working capital, investment and re-financing. Loans ranging from €25,000 to a maximum of €1.5 million are available for terms of between one and six years. The initial tranche of the scheme provides a budget of €140 million, with an option to extend by a further €190 million.
In addition to these direct financial support measures, my Department has also invested heavily in helping the sector to prepare for changes in the trading environment with UK. This has included investment in new IT systems, recruitment of additional veterinary and technical resources, and direct training for businesses on new systems and processes.
My Department has also provided additional funding to Bord Bia in recent Budgets to support their activities in promoting Irish agri-food products on the UK market, as well as their work in developing alternative markets for these products.
This range of measures shows the Government's commitment to supporting the Irish agri-food sector in navigating the impacts of Brexit. I can assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to monitor these impacts, and we will ensure that the sector continues to receive the necessary support.
195. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of organic farming scheme applications that have been received from County Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26917/22]
View answerThe current Programme for Government is committed to aligning Ireland’s organic land area with that of the EU average of 7.5%, which is also consistent with the target proposed by Agri-Food Strategy 2030. I am fully committed to attaining this ambitious goal and all our organic policies are designed with this in mind.
A budget of €21 million was allocated to the Organic Farming Scheme in 2022, an increase of €5 million from the previous year. This allocation supports the 1,734 existing contracts in the Organic Farming Scheme, of which eight are from County Carlow, while also providing for an extra 50,000 hectares converting to organic production in 2022.
The Organic Farming Scheme opened again for new applications on 9th February 2022 and closed on 22nd April 2022. An additional 380 applications were received, of which four applications were from County Carlow. The eligibility of these applications will be assessed once the Basic Payment Scheme applications are verified, which will determine approval into the Organic Farming Scheme.
196. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of central Exchequer funding that he proposes to invest in piers and harbours across the State over the next number of years in addition to that invested from the BAR fund. [26032/22]
View answerThe Deputy is aware that I recently announced the approval of €31.7m in funding for 110 projects under the Brexit Adjustment: Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme 2022-2023. This is the largest ever funding announcement of its kind for local authority owned marine infrastructure. To put this in context, last year I was able to make €4.2m available for local authority projects under the Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme.
I would very much like to see progress on the "shovel ready" projects to provide an immediate construction stimulus to the coastal communities impacted by the Trade and Co-Operation Agreement, as the Seafood Task Force had envisaged. and 2023. This Scheme is an unprecedented opportunity and I encourage the local authorities to take full advantage of this source of funding during 2022 and 2023.
My Department will issue a further call later this year for additional projects so that the remaining funding under this €35m scheme can be allocated. In the meantime project delivery must be everyone's focus.
I must again stress that responsibility for the development and maintenance of local authority owned piers, harbours and slipways rests with each Local Authority in the first instance. I am also mindful that the primary governance role for local authorities rests with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and any wider funding issues for local authorities should be addressed to that Minister.
In February I also announced the allocation of €35m for this year from the National Exchequer for capital projects in Ireland’s six state-owned Fishery Harbour Centres and a small number of other locations under my Department's remit. Also in February, I announced that the Government had approved €25 million investment into the Deep Water Quay Project at Ros an Mhíl.
I am not in a position to determine the composition of future investment programmes as this will be dependent on overall available Exchequer funding but I will continue to support investment in piers and harbours utilised by the seafood sector with the resources at my disposal.
197. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of agri-shows that his Department will fund in 2022. [26843/22]
View answerAt the outset, it is great to see our network of livestock and agri shows back up and running in 2022 after a two year absence. These shows are hugely important to the farming and rural communities and I am huge proponent of them.
The Department engages annually with relevant representative organisations in supporting the annual farm shows calendar. This is in recognition of the potential for such events in the agricultural calendar to contribute positively to both Ireland’s reputation as a destination of choice for such events, as well as broader economic and social benefits, including benefits to the rural economy and society.
The Department engages via the relevant representative organisation, namely the Irish Shows Association (ISA), in terms of providing relevant funding. This funding is typically utilised to cover insurance costs in respect of the nationwide show's calendar that the ISA organises.
198. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his proposals to allocate funds from the European Crisis Reserve. [26961/22]
View answerOn 23rd March, the EU Commission announced the adoption of exceptional adjustment aid to producers in agricultural sectors which have been impacted by Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. The aid provided for was granted as a measure supporting agricultural markets following the transfer of funds from the reserve for crisis in the agricultural sector.
The exceptional aid allocation to Ireland was €15.8 million in EU funding and there are detailed requirements and conditionality attached to this allocation; set out in Commission Delegated Regulation 2022/467 of 23rd March 2022.
On 13th April, I announced the Government's approval for exceptional aid supports of €15.8 million for the pig and horticulture sector, which will be funded from Ireland's EU allocation for exceptional adjustment aid. The approval was for €13 million for the pig sector and €2.8 million for the horticulture sector to support ‘High-wire’ protected glass house producers of tomatoes, cucumber and peppers, field vegetable producers, mushroom producers and commercial apple producers.
Member States are required to notify the Commission of the measures to be taken before 30 June 2022 and to pay the supports by 30th September 2022. My officials are developing the schemes at present in order to deliver a rapid as possible payment to farm families.
In addition to this use of the EU exceptional aid provision, and in acknowledgement of the need to address the multiple impacts of the illegal invasion in Ukraine on food supply chains and food security, significant funding has also been allocated towards Exchequer funded measures including a targeted intervention package for the tillage sector, and the Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme.
200. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress that has been made to date in the discussions on the reformed Common Fisheries Policy; the case being made by him on behalf of Ireland to ensure an equitable share of the fish around the coast for Irish fishers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26903/22]
View answerThe Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Regulation (Regulation EU 380/2013) provides that the European Commission will report to the European Parliament and the Council on the functioning of the CFP by the end of 2022.
On 17th December 2021, the European Commission launched an online questionnaire as part of its public consultation on the preparation of this report. The questionnaire was circulated to Member States and the Advisory Councils and was also publicly available so that all stakeholders and members of the public had an opportunity to contribute. Last month, the Commission published an analysis of the results of this online survey.
As part of the process of preparing the report on the functioning of the CFP, the Commission has indicated that it will hold a stakeholder event on 10 June 2022. In the interim, the Commission will also be engaging with Member States and stakeholders at a regional level.
I am committed to doing all possible through the review of the CFP to secure additional quota where possible for Irish fishers. I have established a national Common Fisheries Policy Review group of relevant stakeholders to examine the issues that arise for Ireland in the context of the CFP Review, to advise me on priorities for the negotiations and to identify strategies most likely to influence the outcome of the review. The Group is chaired by Mr. John Malone, former Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture, and assisted by a steering committee comprising Mr. Micheál Ó Cinneide, former Director of the MI and EPA and Mr. Donal Maguire, former Director in BIM. The Group involves representatives of key stakeholders, including industry representative groups and the environmental NGOs.
201. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress that has been made by the carbon farming working group on developing a system for calculating the amount of carbon sequestered on farmland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26934/22]
View answerMy Department recognises the important role that land managers including our farmers and foresters will play in meeting our ambitious national climate change targets. The successful achievement of these targets will be influenced by the early adoption of innovations such as Carbon Farming.
The recent publication of the Commissions Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles has sent a clear signal to European Member States on the need to increase the ambition and participation of our land managers in the area or carbon removals and reductions.
The potential to reward farmers for their carbon sequestration activities is recognised under the recently updated All-of-Government Climate Action Plan 2021 which commits government to, “explore the development of a carbon farming model”.
As a result, officials within the Department are currently exploring, primarily through the Carbon Farming Working Group, how an enabling framework for carbon farming can be developed and although this work is at an early stage the potential rewards for farmers, and society in general, are clear.
To help establish the required baseline data required for a carbon sequestration reward model, I have provided funding through my Department, for initiatives such as the establishment of the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory, the Pilot Soil Sampling Programme and the Farm Environmental Scheme along with a number of European Innovation Partnership (EIP) research projects based on peatsoils, to provide the required data for the development of future policy options in this area.
My Department currently supports our farmers and foresters in their sequestration activities primarily through the Afforestation Programme including agroforestry, in a variety of configurations. An example of a positive development to date in this area is my Department’s ‘Woodland Environmental Fund’ where private businesses can part-fund the establishment of native woodlands on farms and from which a number of lessons may be learned for the future implementation of a Irish based Carbon Farming incentivisation scheme.
202. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the measures by which his Department will meet an emissions reduction target of 22% by 2030; and the additional measures that would be implemented if his Department is required to reduce emissions by 30% by 2030. [26622/22]
View answerIn November 2021, the Climate Action Plan was published, setting out an ambitious reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for the agriculture sector of between 22% and 30% by 2030 when compared with a 2018 baseline. These are challenging targets.
The achievement of this target will take a whole-of-government, whole-of-sector approach, but I remain confident in the sector's ability to achieve its climate targets.
Specific greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation measures included in National Climate Action Plan 2021 for the agriculture sector, to be implemented to achieve the target emissions reduction by 2030, include:
- An overall reduction in chemical nitrogen fertiliser use to 325,000 tonnes by 2030. The Plan places significant emphasis on measures that will maintain grass productivity with reduced levels of chemical fertiliser use. These measures include an increased use of lime on farms, a greater uptake of low emission slurry spreading technology, and the use of clover and multispecies swards within our grass based system, which are less dependant on chemical nitrogen inputs. On nitrogen the plan also sets out a significant shift towards the use of nitrogen fertilisers containing inhibitors (Protected Urea).
- Improved animal breeding by providing targets for milk recording on dairy farms and weight recording on suckler beef farms.
- Improved animal feeding by focusing on utilising feed additives during the housing period and reducing the crude protein content of livestock feeding stuffs.
- Reducing the average finishing age of cattle across the decade through improving production efficiencies on our farms.
- Improved sustainability of our food system will also be achieved through significant increases in the area organically farmed in Ireland.
The Plan also commits agriculture to providing feedstocks toward the production by 2030 of 1.6 TWh per annum of indigenous sustainably-produced biomethane for injection into the gas grid by 2030.
In addition, the Plan sets out further measures that will be necessary for agriculture to meet its targets, these include agroforestry, afforestation, developing a carbon farming model and exploring methane-reducing feed additives for pasture-based solutions.
By implementing the measures contained within the Climate Action Plan, I am confident that we can transition the sector to a more long term sustainable platform, with co-benefits for water, air quality and biodiversity, while at all times, maintaining productivity in the sector. I have repeatedly indicated that research and innovation will be needed over the decade in order to bring the sector into compliance with its carbon budget ceiling, a position which is very much consistent with all sectors of the economy.
203. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 133 of 31 March 2022, if he will provide details of the European Union regulation governing the use of CAP funding through TAMS whereby the electricity generated is solely for farm use and not for payment; the plans, if any, to amend this arrangement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26635/22]
View answerThe Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) is regulated by Article 17 ‘Investments in Physical Assets’ of EU Regulation 1305/2013. The payments issued from TAMS since 2014 up to the present date address specifically Article 17(1)(a) of this Regulation.
To encourage on-farm renewable technology uptake and usage, grant aid is provided through TAMS to assist farmers in maximising their contribution to the production of renewable energy through the installation of Solar PV technology along with battery storage on Irish farms. The solar PV systems grant-aided under TAMS include Solar PV Panels and Solar PV Rechargeable Batteries and Solar Panels for water heating under the Pig and Poultry Capital Investment Scheme. The grant aid under TAMS is available at the standard rate of 40%, with a higher grant rate of 60% available to qualified young farmers.
Article 81 of 1305/2013 sets out the regulatory requirements and indicates that unless Regulation 1305/2013 sets out a different position the State aid requirements apply. The State aid requirements are under Commission Regulation (EU) No 702/2014 and Article 14 (4) states the following:
The investment may be linked to the production at farm-level of energy from renewable sources, provided that such production does not exceed the average annual consumption of fuels or energy of the given farm. Where the investment is made for the production of thermal energy and electricity from renewable sources on agricultural holdings, the production facilities shall serve only the beneficiary's own energy needs and their production capacity shall be no more than the equivalent to the combined average annual energy consumption of thermal energy and electricity on the agricultural holding, including the farm household.
The current State aid Guidelines in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas have applied since 1st July 2014 and will expire on 31 December 2022. The European Commission proposed changes to the Guidelines in order to align the current rules with the new CAP and other current EU strategic priorities. On 11th January 2022 the Commission launched a public consultation on the draft revised draft Guidelines, which closed on 13th March 2022. In addition to the public consultation, the proposed draft revised draft Guidelines were discussed at meetings between the Commission and Member States, which took place on 10th March 2022. Adoption of the revised rules is planned for the end of 2022.
It is also proposed that support for renewable energy investments will continue under the new Capital Investment Scheme as part of the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) submitted to the EU Commission for approval last December. The position for Capital Investments under the CSP will remain for renewables to be consumed on the holding only.
Allowing farmers to generate more renewable energy for their own use and potentially for sale to the grid is a priority of mine.
My Department is working closely with Minister Eamon Ryan's Department on this given the suite of new measures which that Department has introduced for renewable production this year. I will continue to engage in the revision of the State Aid Regulations as part of this and I will examine all ways to support farmers in this area.
