Written Answers Nos. 313-323
313. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he can reconsider the rules excluding robotics farmers from the new TAMS scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10599/23]
View answerI was pleased to recently announce the new and expanded range of investments under TAMS 3. This makes it our largest every on-farm capital investment scheme. I have introduced some changes to TAMS under TAMS 3 to continue to align it with overall agriculture and environmental priorities.
On the dairy sector, the list of potential investments is larger than ever before. In addition to the investments being carried over from TAMS II there is a wide range of additional investments being introduced for farmers, including farm roadways, bovine fencing, health and fertility monitoring systems, automatic drafting systems, public road underpasses and milk recording systems.
When a farmer is planning to update their dairy system, investment in the milking machine is only a portion of the required investment. It is important that dairy farmers also invest in animal housing, slurry storage, fodder storage and making their holding more accessible. To this end the TAMS schemes are designed to encourage farmers to invest in these animal welfare and environmentally beneficial investments before investing in additional milking equipment. It is for this reason that there are limits on robotic milkers where farmers have previously benefitted from this under the TAMS scheme before.
314. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when data checks regarding curlew action will be completed for a person (details supplied) in order that their 2021 GLAS 3 balancing payment can issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10601/23]
View answerThe person named was approved to GLAS 3 with a contract commencement date of 1st January 2017. Payments have issued to this Herd for scheme years 2017 – 2020 inclusive. The GLAS advance payment for 2021 issued on 16th November 2021.
An administrative penalty was imposed on this application in respect of the Curlew action. Processing of the recalculated 2021 Balance Payment for the person named is now at an advanced stage and we expect payment to shortly.
Once payment of the 2021 Balance has issued, processing of the 2022 advance payment can commence. Administrative checks take place on all GLAS claims. All cases must clear validation checks before payment can issue. GLAS payments are continuing on a weekly basis as applications pass all validation checks and are approved for payment.
315. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a farmer (details supplied) in County Kerry will be accepted into the ACRES scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10620/23]
View answerI was delighted to see that so many farmers applied for ACRES, indicating their willingness to farm for the benefit of the environment and society. The submission of over 46,000 applications shows the level of interest in participating in an agri-environment scheme. The Scheme forms part of Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 which is the successor to Ireland’s Rural Development Plan 2014-2020.
I was delighted yesterday to be able to confirm that all ACRES applicants who had submitted valid applications will be accepted to ACRES.
Approval letters will issue in respect of valid applications, week beginning 6th March. Contracts commence from 1st January 2023, for Tranche 1 and will be for five years. Approval summaries showing mapped actions (if any) on participants’ farms will issue by end March. These will be accompanied by a species identification booklet to help farmers identify indicator species on their land that will be used in the scoring process.
For those participants in the Co-operation (CP) stream, CP Teams will begin applying the appropriate scorecards to participants’ holdings. The land will be scored over the summer months by advisors, the scores achieved will be used to calculate the payments made. Scorecards must be submitted by 31st August 2023, for Tranche 1 participants.
316. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a farmer (details supplied) in County Kerry will be accepted into the ACRES scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10632/23]
View answerI was delighted to see that so many farmers applied for ACRES, indicating their willingness to farm for the benefit of the environment and society. The submission of over 46,000 applications shows the level of interest in participating in an agri-environment scheme. The Scheme forms part of Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 which is the successor to Ireland’s Rural Development Plan 2014-2020.
I was pleased to announce yesterday that all those who had submitted valid applications will be accepted to ACRES.
Approval letters will issue in respect of valid applications, week beginning 6th March. Contracts commence from 1st January 2023, for Tranche 1 and will be for five years. Approval summaries showing mapped actions (if any) on participants’ farms will issue by end March. These will be accompanied by a species identification booklet to help farmers identify indicator species on their land that will be used in the scoring process.
For those participants in the Co-operation (CP) stream, CP Teams will begin applying the appropriate scorecards to participants’ holdings. The land will be scored over the summer months by advisors, the scores achieved will be used to calculate the payments made. Scorecards must be submitted by 31st August 2023, for Tranche 1 participants.
317. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of TB lesions that were cultured in 2022; the percentage of these lesions that were from reactor animals; the percentage that were from post-mortems in factories; if he will provide a ratio of positive to negative cultures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10695/23]
View answerWhen cattle are slaughtered as reactors under the TB eradication programme, it is because they have tested positive for infection with TB. It is not routine to culture all TB reactors.
In 2022, 23,393 (provisional figure) cattle have been slaughtered as reactors under the TB eradication programme, as they are deemed to be infected with the TB disease agent. The test specificity is estimated at 99.98%, meaning the number of false positives to the skin test is estimated at one animal in 5,000 tested.
However, the skin test has an estimated sensitivity of 80% which means that approximately one in five animals infected with TB will not be identified by the test, on average. This means that false negatives are much more problematic for the TB programme than false positives.
Visual inspection of reactor carcasses at post-mortem finds that, on average, approximately 30% of such reactors have visible lesions of tuberculosis, meaning the infection has progressed to a stage where the disease process has caused such significant tissue damage that it can be seen with the naked eye.
If a reactor does not have visible disease lesions, it does not mean it is not infected; visual inspection cannot detect the presence of microscopic lesions and bacteria within the tissues of such animals.
Separately from the slaughter of TB reactors, all non-TB reactor cattle routinely slaughtered in Ireland are subjected to a post-mortem veterinary inspection which includes surveillance for lesions suspected to be caused by TB.
In 2022, approximately 4,600 such suspect lesions were identified and of these, approximately 55% are subsequently found by laboratory testing (combination of histological examination and/or culture) to have been caused by TB. The herds from which those animals came are then subjected to follow-up testing to identify any other undetected infected cattle.
318. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the minimum and maximum timeframes ]for culturing TB lesions; if it is possible with advancements in technologies to reduce the amount of time it takes to culture lesions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10696/23]
View answerAs the organism that causes TB in cattle is a particularly slow growing organism, the maximum length of time for the culture process, including speciation of bacteria is 10 weeks in conformity with international standards. The minimum length of the time for the culture process for positive samples, including speciation of bacteria is approximately three weeks. The minimum length of time for the culture process for negative samples is seven weeks.
This is after the microscopic examination. The culture interval of M Bovis in the National Reference Laboratory compares very favourably with international practices in both the medical and veterinary fields.
With development of PCR technology, a new diagnostic methodology is being evaluated as an alternative to culture. Work is ongoing in the department laboratories to validate this, initially for lesioned tissues which are inconclusive after microscopic examination. This will have a turnaround time of two to three working weeks. Once this is validated, the aim is make use of this technology more generally so that the total laboratory turnaround time for the vast majority of eligible samples will be less than five working weeks.
My Department makes every effort to ensure that the culturing process in the laboratory is completed as expeditiously as possible in order to ensure that herds are not restricted for longer than necessary.
319. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he can assist pensioners of a company (details supplied) whom he has responsibility for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10709/23]
View answerRásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The question raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for RCÉ and, therefore, the question has been referred to the body for direct reply.
320. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider including agricultural and farm contractors in the new targeted agricultural modernisation scheme (TAMS 3); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10747/23]
View answerThe EU regulations (Article 17 of EU Regulation 1305/2013) that provide for the TAMS scheme under the RDP 2014 – 2020, specify that TAMS II beneficiaries must be farmers or groups of farmers.
The regulatory transitional provisions for support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) in the years 2021 and 2022 do not alter this definition. These are also the legal basis for TAMS 3.
Therefore, the Department is precluded from funding the purchase of equipment by contractors under TAMS 3 unless they are also farmers.
321. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the taking out of a joint train licence by an individual (details supplied) is in compliance with Horse Racing Ireland rules; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10753/23]
View answerHorse Racing Ireland (HRI) is a commercial state body established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, and is responsible for the overall administration, promotion and development of the horse racing industry.
The question raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for HRI, therefore, the question has been referred to the body for direct reply.
322. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if there are grants provided for under her Department that allow for improvement works to be carried out on car parks and footpaths around local parish and community halls and centres, being cognisant of the fact the Community Centre Investment Fund does not appear to cover these works; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10732/23]
View answerThe Community Support Fund, launched last November, is a Fund designed to assist thousands of community groups across the country. Support is available to, for example, Parish Halls, Community Centres, Local Development Associations, Social Clubs, ICA Groups, Senior Citizen Groups, Men’s and Women’s Sheds. The fund will deliver small grants to help groups with running costs and rising energy bills. Groups can also use the funding to carry out small upgrade works and to purchase equipment to support their activities such as laptops and printers, lawnmowers, training equipment, etc.
The funding is administered on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development locally by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) across the country, with support from their Local Authority. Applications for funding can be made to the relevant LCDC.
My Department’s CLÁR Programme provides funding for small-scale projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period. Since the programme was relaunched in 2016, it has supported a wide range of measures, including car park upgrades and footpath improvements.
Separately, in recognition of the contribution being made by communities across the country in welcoming and hosting significant numbers of arrivals from Ukraine and other countries, my Department’s Community Recognition Fund, set up in late January, aims to support the development of community infrastructure and facilities in these communities.
As the Fund is designed to support the development of facilities that will be used in the future by all members of the community, I believe proposals such as car park upgrades and footpath improvements would be eligible for consideration.
323. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development whether it is intended to provide funding for the improvement of a LIS road on an island in 2023 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10734/23]
View answerThe Local Improvement Scheme (LIS) supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not normally maintained by local authorities. As part of Our Rural Future, the Government is committed to ensuring that the LIS is funded into the future.
The Scheme was reintroduced by my Department in 2017 following a number of years with no dedicated funding. I am committed to improving connectivity for rural and island residents, whether it be access to homes, farms or outdoor amenities. Since 2017, my Department has allocated almost €114 million to the scheme. Up to 2022 this has seen upgrade works on over 3,700 non-public roads and lanes benefiting over 16,000 landowners and residents in these rural areas.
My Department reviews the scheme criteria each year prior to launch including the mechanism for funding allocation. The prioritisation of roads for submission to my Department is a matter for each local authority in line with the Scheme Outline.
I have increased the funding for the Local Improvement Scheme each year since 2021 and allocated an additional €20.5 million during 2021 and 2022 towards the scheme. I launched the 2023 scheme earlier this month with an increase in the base funding to €12 million. I also announced an additional €0.55 million for improvement works on our offshore islands.
With reference to your specific query on Bóthar an Dúna, Inis Meáin, funding in the amount of €250,000 has been made available for offshore islands in County Galway of which Inis Meáin is included. Once eligibility on individual roads and lanes has been ascertained, it is then a matter for the relevant local authority to assign priority with regard to submitting particular roads to my Department for approval.
The deadline for receiving submissions for LIS 2023 is 10 March 2023.
