Tuesday, 28 Mar 2023

Written Answers Nos. 760-775

Fishing Industry

Questions (760)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

760. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a fisheries issue (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14759/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The monitoring and control of fishing vessels within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone are matters for the Irish control authorities. Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 2006, all operational issues of this nature concerning sea fisheries control are, as a matter of law, exclusively for the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and the Naval Service.

As Minister, I am precluded from getting involved in operational matters including those referred to by the Deputy. Accordingly, I have referred the Deputy’s queries to SFPA for attention and direct reply.

Departmental Schemes

Questions (761)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

761. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of abolishing the parental levy on the school milk scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14770/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Deputy will be aware that pupils participating in the school milk scheme who attend DEIS classified schools are exempt from a parental contribution for the school milk scheme and receive school milk free of charge. A parental contribution is in place for those pupils attending non-DEIS classified schools.

Ireland receives a fixed annual funding allocation for the School Milk Scheme from the EU Commission of €900,000. My Department contributes supporting Exchequer funding in the region of €200,000 for the necessary accompanying measures and ancillary expenditure not covered under the EU School Scheme allocation. The parental contribution is offset against and bridges the cost of the milk charged by the national suppliers and the financial allocation made available to Ireland from the EU. This is deemed necessary in order to support the wider availability of the EU school milk scheme to those pupils from non-DEIS schools who choose to enroll, so enabling greater participation in the scheme.

The parental contribution for the school year 2021/2022 amounted to €149,364. The parental contribution, per child per week, does not exceed €1.20. The aim is to keep this rate as low as possible.

The parental contribution is not income received by the State, but is paid by the schools concerned directly to their school milk supplier. A previous evaluation of the School Milk Scheme has shown that the parental contribution is not a significant deterrent to the voluntary enrolment by a parent, of their child, in the daily distribution scheme in order to inform healthy eating habits of children at an early age.

Fishing Industry

Questions (762)

Alan Dillon

Question:

762. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the programmes funded and to be funded under the Brexit adjustment reserve to support fisheries and coastal communities from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14797/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

As the Deputy is aware, I established the Seafood Task Force to examine the implications of the EU/UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA) for the Fishing and Seafood Industry and Coastal Communities and to consider initiatives and make recommendations to address those implications. The Task Force published its report in October 2021, recommending initiatives with an estimated value of €423.3 million. While not all of these were to be funded immediately or by the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR), there was a significant number to be actioned within the BAR funding period. Recognising this and the requirement for assessing each recommendation in the context of State Aid Guidelines, the Public Spending Code and relevant regulations, the Task Force stated that these could only be addressed on a phased and prioritised basis.

Since the publication of the Task Force Report, €267.8m in supports and developmental strategies have been launched. These are more generous and comprehensive that those put in place elsewhere and will enable our seafood sector and coastal communities to overcome the significant challenges it faces. The list of these schemes and the total budget for each is presented in tabular form below. The remaining recommendations proposed for funding under BAR are currently being assessed with a view to introducing further supports in 2023.

Announced Brexit Adjustment Reserve Schemes	Scheme Budget
Temporary Tie-Up 2021 (recommended by the interim report)	€10m
Inshore Fisheries Business Model Adjustment Scheme	€3.7m
Temporary Tie-Up 2022 Scheme	€24m
Brexit Co-operative Transition Scheme	€1m
Inshore Marketing Scheme	€1m
Brexit Adjustment Local Authority Marine Infrastructure Scheme	€55.3m
Blue Economy Enterprise Development Scheme	€25m
Seafood Capital Processing Support Scheme	€45m
Brexit Sustainable Aquaculture Growth Scheme	€20m
Brexit Voluntary Decommissioning Scheme	€80m
Off-Register Capacity Buy-Out Scheme	€2.8m
Total of Seafood Taskforce Scheme announcements to date	€267.8m

Agriculture Industry

Questions (763)

Holly Cairns

Question:

763. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on the work of the Suckler Brand Development Oversight Group, including the composition of the group and its remit; the number of times it has met; and the amount of money spent to date with a breakdown of how it was spent. [14853/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Suckler Brand Development Oversight Group was established, after being agreed upon by stakeholders at Beef Taskforce meetings in September and October 2020, to oversee and advise on the creation and implementation of a distinct brand for suckler beef to be led by Bord Bia.

The Suckler Brand Development Oversight Group is chaired by my Department and includes a range of stakeholders from state agencies, the beef industry and farmer stakeholder representatives.

The group has met five times to date with the next meeting due in the coming months.

Bord Bia’s expenditure on the project to December 2022 amounted to €790,000; while €800,000 has been allocated for the project in 2023.

Despite delays arising from the pandemic, good progress has been made on the initiative to date, with Bord Bia activity including:

- A review of the opportunity for suckler beef based on research across a number of key European markets.??

- The approach to implementing the brand proposition communications across the markets has been shared within the Oversight Group and Bord Bia are working with the sector in terms of bringing the Irish Suckler beef proposition to market.?

- Bord Bia has developed a collection of bespoke suckler video and photography, shot on farms in the summer of 2022, and is currently developing?Irish Suckler Beef communications materials for consumer audiences.

The Oversight Group has provided input to each stage of the proposed suckler branding proposition as presented by Bord Bia at each meeting.

Agriculture Supports

Questions (764, 765)

Alan Dillon

Question:

764. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a rescue package can be put in place for the sheep sector through the Brexit Reserve Fund, given the difficulties currently being faced by sheep farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14916/23]

Alan Dillon

Question:

765. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if additional funds can be included in the sheep improvement scheme to increase the current payment of €12 per ewe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14917/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I propose to take Questions Nos. 764 and 765 together.

I regard a viable sheep sector as an integral element of a balanced regional economy and I know that sheep farmers are committed to producing a world-class, safe and sustainable product.

I also recognise the pressure that sheep farmers have been under as a result of the recent downturn in the markets. Market prices, however, are a commercial matter between suppliers and buyers and Government has no role in determining commodity prices in the sheep sector

My Department provides significant support to the sector under the new CAP Strategic Plan (CSP), both through a new targeted scheme for sheep farmers - the Sheep Improvement Scheme - and through the broad range of schemes in the CSP.

The new Sheep Improvement Scheme has over 19,000 applications submitted. The scheme replaces the previous Sheep Welfare Scheme but shares the same aim of improving animal health and welfare in the sector, with a 20% increase in the ewe payment rate - from €10 to €12 - compared to the previous scheme.

The CSP provides almost €10 billion in supports over the period to 2027 for farm families. Sheep farmers are eligible for several other schemes in addition to Sheep Improvement Scheme, including the ACRES and Organics schemes, which are particularly suited to sheep enterprises or mixed beef and sheep enterprises.

I have secured places for all 46,000 farmers in ACRES which I am certain will benefit many sheep farmers.

Furthermore, support for early-stage producer organisations, which will be introduced later this year, will strengthen the position of sheep farmers in the supply chain.

At my request, the Food Vision Sheep Group met last month to discuss the sheep market situation. All the main stakeholders are represented on the Group and were invited to make submissions. I have received and will carefully consider the Chair’s report on the outcome of the Group's deliberations and my Department will continue to closely monitor the market situation in the sector.

While market returns have reduced from the record prices of recent years due to increased input costs, Teagasc forecasts suggest that family farm income for specialised sheep farms in 2023 will be 2% down on 2022 at €19,500, due to the important role which direct payments play in contributing to sheep farm incomes.

In relation to the specific query about the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR), the BAR provides financial support to the most affected Member States to counter the adverse economic, social, territorial and, where appropriate, environmental consequences of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. Expenditure under the Reserve must demonstrate a direct link to the negative impact of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, and failure to do so will see the European Commission deem expenditure ineligible.

Question No. 765 answered with Question No. 764.

Departmental Funding

Questions (766)

Niall Collins

Question:

766. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the basis, criteria and rationale for the disbursement of funds to animal welfare organisations; the reason there is a disparity in the amounts received between different organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15011/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Animal welfare is a key priority for me as Minister and the Government. Considerable funding is provided to support animal welfare charity organisations.

In December 2022, I announced the record allocation of over €5.8 million in funding to 99 animal welfare charities throughout the country, under the Animal Welfare Grant Programme. This marks the largest award of grant funding to animal welfare bodies ever made by my Department.

Awards are made on the basis of objective criteria which are reviewed on an annual basis. These include the level and type of assistance provided by the organisation in the delivery of care and welfare services to animals and the level of funding raised by organisations from other sources to support welfare activities. Throughput of animals and rehoming figures are assessed along with veterinary inspection of the premises.

An important element, including in the most recent year’s funding, recognises the critical role of education and dissemination of knowledge to improve animal welfare. Imparting knowledge on animal welfare plays a crucial role in improving standards nationally. For example, raising awareness on responsible pet ownership can help to prevent dogs subsequently being abandoned or surrendered to charities for rehoming, thus helping to reduce the pressure dog shelters and charities may come under.

Departmental Data

Questions (767)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

767. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of prosecutions taken per annum for failure to comply with the Microchipping of Dogs Regulations 2015, for the years 2016 to 2022, in tabular form. [15024/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

In relation to the period in question, in 2016, my Department brought forward two prosecutions for failure to comply with the Microchipping of Dogs Regulations 2015. No prosecutions were taken from 2017 to 2022 inclusive by my Department.

Enforcement records on canine identification are not centralised and therefore my Department only has access to information relating to prosecutions taken by my Department. Enforcement of compliance with the microchipping regulations do not always lead to prosecutions before the courts,. Cases relating to microchipping non-compliances may arise in conjunction with other issues, in particular animal welfare offences.

Animal Welfare

Questions (768)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

768. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if statistics are being kept regarding the number of licensed pet sellers selling dogs online that are breeds on the restrictive dog breeds list; and if not, if he will consider collecting those statistics. [15027/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

My Department has recently updated the requirements for entry onto the Pet Sales Register. The new requirements include the need that the entity must be inspected by either a Private Veterinarian Practitioner, Irish Greyhound Board welfare officer or DAFM veterinarian, and must also supply details of the number, and breed, of animals kept on the premises. The Department does not keep a record of dog breeds offered for sale online.

The Register of Sellers and Suppliers of Pet Animals and the Register of Premises on the Department's website has additional guidance for potential pet owners thinking of acquiring a pet, further supporting potential purchasers in making informed decisions. A traceability and verification system has been developed by a website advertising dogs in conjunction with a microchipping company. I encourage all websites to use this system.

The Deputy will be aware the matter of restrictive dog breeds is covered in the Control of Dogs legislation which is under the remit of the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD).

In late 2022, I was tasked by the then Taoiseach to coordinate an across-government approach to the matter of dog control. My Department is working closely with DCRD on this matter. Minister Humphreys and I have set up a working group to examine issues relating to dog control. The group has recently submitted a report to us with a number of recommendations which we are currently carefully considering. I will be reporting back to Government shortly on this issue.

Departmental Schemes

Questions (769)

Mattie McGrath

Question:

769. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the final payment for the hen-harrier scheme will be made; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15035/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Hen Harrier Project is operationally independent of my Department and is run by the Hen Harrier Project Team. The Project team are responsible for the administration of the project and associated payments. Any queries relating to payments due should be addressed directly to the Project team.

Departmental Data

Questions (770)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

770. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the expenditure his Department and agencies under his Department's remit have incurred on car, van, commercial vehicle rental or lease in each of the years 2020 to date in 2023; and if he will outline in tabular form the make and model of each vehicle, the cost of rental per quarter and the name of the entity from which each vehicle is rented or leased. [15045/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the attached table.

In addition, staff from my Department who are working abroad, occasionally need to rent a vehicle locally for short term use. Typically, such instances relate to official visits where it is more efficient and cost effective to rent a vehicle for the duration of the visitors’ work. There are no quarterly or annual costs incurred per se as none of the arrangements are long term. Similarly, the arrangements are made locally through the Department of Foreign Affairs who periodically seek reimbursement of the relevant costs from this Department but do not supply details such as make and model of the vehicle or the name of the rental company.

The costs reimbursed to the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2020 was €3,154, €3,710 in 2021, €14,529 in 2022 and €2,584 to date in 2023.

2020

Make and Model	Name of the entity from which each vehicle is rented/leased	Cost of rental per Quarter €	Total Cost €
Renault Kangoo	Northgate Vehicle Hire Replacement vehicle for a few weeks		578
Ford Transit	Northgate Vehicle Hire – short term rental		362
Peugeot Partner	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals		1,181
Renault Kangoo	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals		1,033
Peugeot Boxer	National Truck and Van Rental		2,565
Peugeot Boxer	National Truck and Van Rental		2,565
Peugeot Boxer	Value Van Rental		2,694
Peugeot Boxer	Value Van Rental		2,694

2021

Make and Model	Name of the entity from which each vehicle is rented/leased	Cost of rental per Quarter €
Peugeot Partner	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals	1,181
Renault Kangoo	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals	1,033
Peugeot Boxer	Value Van Rental	2,694
Peugeot Boxer	Value Van Rental	2,694

2022

Make and Model	Name of the entity from which each vehicle is rented/leased	Cost of rental per Quarter €
Peugeot Partner	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals	1,181
Renault Kangoo	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals	1,033
Peugeot Partner	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals	1,531
Peugeot Partner	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals	1,531
Peugeot Boxer	Value Van Rental	2,694
Peugeot Boxer	Value Van Rental	2,694
Opel Movano	J Murphy & Son Motors Ltd. t/a Murphy Truck and Van Rental	3,410
Opel Movano	J Murphy & Son Motors Ltd. t/a Murphy Truck and Van Rental	3,410
Citroen Relay	National Truck and Van Rental	4,354
Peugeot Boxer	National Truck and Van Rental	4,354

2023 to date

Make and Model	Name of the entity from which each vehicle is rented/leased	Cost of rental per Quarter €
Peugeot Partner	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals	1,531
Peugeot Partner	Newbridge Car and Van Rental Ltd. t/a Go Rentals	1,531
Citroen Relay	National Truck and Van Rental	4,354
Peugeot Boxer	National Truck and Van Rental	4,354

Agriculture Schemes

Questions (771)

Matt Carthy

Question:

771. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a farmer would be eligible for the national reserve and young farmers scheme on leased land on which a previous lessee had availed of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15106/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The National Reserve provides for an allocation of payment entitlements on land on which the successful applicant holds no entitlements. This land is commonly referred to as ‘naked land’. Ireland is obliged to implement EU funded schemes under the CAP in line with EU Regulations governing the operation of the schemes. In this regard, there are EU Regulatory provisions governing Circumvention, or the artificial creation of conditions to obtain advantage under a scheme.

With regard to the National Reserve, the Terms and Conditions of the scheme refer to the regulatory requirements on circumvention and provide an example of circumvention as the removal of existing entitlements from land for the purpose of creating naked land upon which a National Reserve allocation may be made. My Department’s concern is where there is a clear and obvious attempt to artificially create conditions required to obtain advantage under the scheme.

National Reserve applications are assessed on a case by case basis, including an examination of the lands submitted in support of the application. Where these lands have been supported by payment entitlements in a previous year, these are further examined as part of a review of the previous claimant or beneficiary and the new applicant. This includes an examination of the ownership of the lands now declared as leased in, details of previous lessee and length of lease, the transfer of payment entitlements used in support of these lands, whether by sale or lease, and the duration of any lease.

A genuine application supported by either owned or leased land that is submitted in keeping with the spirit and intention of the National Reserve scheme is the basis on which my Department seeks to approve applications.

From 2023, the Young Farmers Scheme has been replaced by the Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers. The new scheme from 2023 will provide payment based on eligible hectares declared by the applicant, subject to a maximum of 50 hectares, rather than payment based on the number of payment entitlements activated in the scheme year as was the case under the Young Farmers Scheme.

Organic Farming

Questions (772)

Matt Carthy

Question:

772. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on the progress implementing the actions of the Review of Organic Food Sector and Strategy for its Development 2019 – 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15107/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The Organic Strategy Forum was established last year and one of the main objectives of that group is to continually review the actions contained in the Review of Organic Food Sector and Strategy for its Development 2019 – 2025. Together with this, the Organic Strategy Forum was tasked with identifying and agree critical actions to increase participation in organic farming and guide the future direction of the Organic sector in Ireland.

The strategy forum comprises a multidisciplinary team of my Department, state agencies and lead representatives from across the organic sector in Ireland, including farm bodies, processors and advisory services . Since its inception in April 2022, a significant tranche of work has taken place.

It is a reflection on the work of the group and its effectiveness that 2,131 new farmers joined the Organic Farming scheme in December 2022 which saw 3,423 eligible applications received. The remaining 1,292 applications represent those whose contracts finished on 31st December 2022.

There are now approximately 200,000 hectares under organic production, which represents 4% of the utilisable agricultural area. This includes farmers who commenced farming organically this year under the most recent intake to the scheme. This brings us another step closer to our ambitious target and provides certainty to those who have decided to convert to organic farming.

The target set out in the Programme for Government is to achieve a rate of 7.5% of the total land area farmed organically by 2027 while the revised target set in the Climate Action plan is to achieve 10% organic land area by 2030. Under the Climate Action Plan, our main priority on organics is to increase the area of organic production to approximately 445,000 hectares by end of decade.

Under the new CSP, for the years 2023-2027, I have secured a budget of €256m for the organic sector with the aim of building upon this growth and developing the sector further. This allocation has facilitated enhanced payment rates, including the introduction of a participation payment for farmers, to support the maintenance and conversion to Organic Farming.

My Department continues to engage with the Organic sector and support Farmers with practical measures and to capitalise on the increased participation in 2022. I am confident the support measures we have put in place will assist in achieving our targets and encourage many more farmers to make the transition to organic farming.

The Organic Forum will undertake a review by end-2023 of the implementation of the Actions in the current strategy.

Organic Farming

Questions (773, 774)

Matt Carthy

Question:

773. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the allocation to and value of monies paid from the organic processing investment grant scheme in each of the years 2018 to 2023 inclusive, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15108/23]

Matt Carthy

Question:

774. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applicants that received funding from the organic processing investment grant scheme in each of the years 2018 to 2023 inclusive, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15109/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

I propose to take Questions Nos. 773 and 774 together.

The Organic Processing Investment Grant Scheme provides funding to organic processors who wish to invest in developing facilities for the processing, preparation, grading, packing and storage of organic products. It is a demand led scheme and all eligible applications received are assessed based on the terms and conditions of the scheme.

The table below outlines the funding allocation, the level of expenditure and the number of applicants who received funding for years 2018-2023 under the Organic Processing Investment Grant. The scheme has not yet opened for applications for 2023.

Year	No. of Applicants	Allocation	Expenditure
2018	5	€1.2m	€46,636
2019	5	€1.2m	€133,605
2020	2	€1.2m	€299,759
2021	3	€1.2m	€500,200
2022	2	€1.2m	€152,858
2023	n/a	€1.2m	n/a

I am fully committed to the development of the organic sector in Ireland. The current Programme for Government includes a target of 7.5% of land area to be farmed organically over the lifetime of this Government. We are well on the way to achieving this target as there has been a two-fold increase in farmers converting to organic farming since 2022 and I am confident this will lead to a corresponding increase in applications for funding in the organic processing sector. In this regard, I will ensure there is sufficient funding in place to satisfy this anticipated increase in demand.

Question No. 774 answered with Question No. 773.

Animal Welfare

Questions (775)

Matt Carthy

Question:

775. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of an incident (details supplied); the actions taken to ensure animal welfare provisions are adhered to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15112/23]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The 2013 Animal Health and Welfare Act provides a modern framework for regulating and applying standards in the area of animal health and welfare for all animals.

My Department devotes significant attention and resources to animal welfare. In December 2022, my Department provided €5.8 million in grants to animal welfare organisations throughout the country that are directly involved in protecting animals. In addition to supporting their rescue activities, additional funding is provided for education initiatives undertaken by these organisation.

My Department operates a confidential animal welfare helpline, where reports of animal welfare breaches can be made by phone or email. Any information relating to allegations that the welfare of animals are being compromised can be provided to this helpline and reports will be followed up by my officials.