Written Answers Nos. 360-370
360. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the process review of his Department conducted by an organisation (details supplied) in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31733/23]
View answerProject Woodland was established by Minister of State Pippa Hackett in February 2021 as a collaborative effort to address forestry licensing issues and develop a Shared National Vision and Strategy for Forestry in Ireland.
As part of Project Woodland an Organisational Review is being undertaken and Grant Thornton have been engaged by my Department to carry out this review of the organisational structure of the three existing Forestry Divisions within the Department and make recommendations on improvements in relation to the structure, capabilities and culture of the Forestry area within the Department.
This has involved initial one-to-one interviews with key personnel and stakeholders in addition to on-line surveys, focus groups and an analysis of the current ‘as is' organisation, as well as carrying out a Benchmarking against other similar organisations.
My Department now awaits Grant Thornton's final report and recommendations to the Minister of State in the coming weeks. The implementation of these recommendations will be carried out under the new Forest Strategy Implementation Plan.
361. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department purchased or produced any memorabilia such as pens, stationery, pins, badges, mugs or other types of souvenirs to mark or celebrate Pride 2023; if so, the costs incurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31803/23]
View answerMy Department is committed to promoting and maintaining an inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees and values each person both for who they are and what they contribute to the work of the Department.
My Department's current Statement of Strategy 2021-2024 sets out as one of our core values "A strong commitment to diversity, inclusion and the fair and equal treatment of all". My Department’s Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy, which was launched in 2018, embraces our values in these areas.
I am proud to say that a number of staff from my Department, including the Secretary General and members of the Management Board joined with colleagues from across the Civil and Public service in the celebration of Pride in Dublin on Saturday 24 June last.
To celebrate the month of Pride, my Department arranged the installation of banners and decorations at six of our buildings nationwide including; Agriculture House, Backweston, Cavan, Clonakilty, Portlaoise and Johnstown Castle.
The celebration of Pride and our LGBT+ colleagues and the wider LGBT+ community sends out a strong message of inclusion to our customers and stakeholders and reinforces our commitment to maintaining and supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace for our people.
I can confirm that no costs were incurred in 2023 in the purchase of memorabilia as outlined above as part of my Department's celebration of Pride. I understand that a number of T Shirts were purchased in 2022 for staff participating in Pride and these T Shirts were used by staff who participated in this year's Pride Parade. The total costs incurred by my Department for the purchase of T Shirts in 2022 was €425.74.
362. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures being taken to ensure that any backlog in afforestation licence applications that result from the delayed forestry programme will be processed in a prompt manner should the application to the European Commission for state aid to fund the forestry programme be successful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31824/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022.
The new Programme is subject to State Aid approval under the Guidelines from the EU Commission. It is also subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment process, which is well advanced. The previous State Aid Guidelines in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas expired on 31 December 2022 and have now been replaced with a revised version as of 1 January 2023.
The introduction of these revised guidelines meant that a formal application for State Aid could not have been submitted to the European Commission until the revised guidelines were in place, i.e. before January 2023.
The Department has been engaging proactively and intensively with the Commission over the last few months in order to secure approval. Once it is received, we will be in a position to launch new forestry schemes, subject to finalisation of the Strategic Environmental Assessment.
Not all schemes under the Programme require State Aid approval under the Guidelines and on 24 April 2023, under the Agricultural Block Exemption Regulation, my Department opened two schemes for applications, the Forest Roads Scheme and the Innovative Forest Technology Scheme – Module 2 Investment Aid for the Development of the Forest Tree Nursery Sector.
In recognition of the need for forestry activity to continue, and pending the launch of the new Programme, my Department also engaged with the Commission last December to secure an interim solution which has led to the introduction of an Interim Afforestation Scheme, an Interim Forest Road Scheme and an interim Ash Dieback Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme via General De Minimis. This ensured that those with valid afforestation licences issued before the end of 2022 could avail of the current planting season under the higher grant and premium rates proposed under the new Programme.
Likewise, those with valid road licences and approvals under the Ash Dieback Scheme at the end of 2022 could avail of the higher grants and enhanced payment rates as proposed under the new Programme.
While we await State Aid approval, my Department is continuing to process applications that are in the system in the normal manner, progressing to the point just before certification and approval. The aim is to have processed as many grant aid applications as possible so that approvals will be ready to issue as soon as allowable.
As Minister in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I remain fully committed to delivering a fully functioning licensing system which will meet the needs of the sector and of society and which matches the ambition of the new Forestry Programme, which includes keeping resources under review.
363. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the consultation period for the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Forestry Programme will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31840/23]
View answer364. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if an individual, company or association can lodge a submission or objection to the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Forestry Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31841/23]
View answer365. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when he expects to complete the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Forestry Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31842/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 363, 364 and 365 together.
As the Deputy may be aware, the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022.
The new Programme will benefit farmers, rural communities and our overall climate and environment.
The new Programme is subject to State Aid approval under the Guidelines in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas from the European Commission. It is also subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment process, which is well advanced. The Forest Strategy Implementation Plan (including the Forestry programme 2023-2027) was published with the associated SEA Environmental Report and AA Natura Impact Report on 18 October 2022 for a six-week period of public consultation. The consultation was open to all interested parties including, but not limited to, an individual, company or association. My Department received more than 150 submissions.
My Department has been engaging proactively and intensively with the Commission in order to secure this approval. The position at the moment is that the Commission is reviewing our State Aid Notification and will decide whether the aid proposed under the new Programme is compatible with EU rules. To this end, I can confirm that my Department received further correspondence relating to our application from the Commission on 6 and 21 June which will require a response. My Department will now respond to this correspondence comprehensively in as efficient a timeframe as possible.
Once State Aid approval has been granted, the Strategic Environmental Assessment can be finalised, after incorporating any relevant outcomes of this process.
The launch of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is a matter of the utmost priority, as a comprehensive and well-subscribed Forestry Programme has the potential to deliver lasting benefits for climate change, biodiversity, wood production, economic development and quality of life.
366. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide an update on the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 and the impact of delivering same, given the delays regarding a formal State aid notification by the EU Commission to Ireland; if he will set out details of any additional information required by the EU Commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31852/23]
View answer373. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the six-month delay in the Government publishing the Forestry Programme for 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31897/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 366 and 373 together.
As the Deputies are aware, the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022.
The new Programme is subject to State Aid approval under the Guidelines from the EU Commission. It is also subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment process, which is well advanced. The previous State Aid Guidelines in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas expired on 31 December 2022 and have now been replaced with a revised version as of 01 January 2023.
The introduction of these revised guidelines meant that a formal application for State Aid could not have been submitted to the European Commission until the revised guidelines were in place, i.e. before January 2023.
The Department has been engaging proactively and intensively with the Commission over the last few months in order to secure approval. Once it is received, we will be in a position to launch new forestry schemes, subject to finalization of the Strategic Environmental Assessment.
367. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the main policy achievements of his Department since 27 June 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31855/23]
View answerThe agri-food sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous exporting industry, playing a vital role in Ireland’s economy. The sector accounts for almost 7% of Gross National Income (GNI) and over 9% of exports in value terms. The sector employs almost 165,000 people, representing close to 7% of total employment in the country, but a far greater proportion in rural and coastal areas. Since becoming Minister in September 2020, my focus has been on the sustainable development of the sector for the benefit of our farmers, fishers, food producers and the Irish people generally. I want to see the sector grow and flourish in the years ahead and I am committed to putting it on an even more sustainable footing.
Since publication of the Programme for Government (PFG) in June 2020, my Department has identified and examined 161 actions in the Agriculture, Food, and the Marine chapter. My Department is the lead organisation in 148 of these actions, and is reporting 68% of those as either target achieved or substantial action undertaken & ongoing, with another 27% reported as commenced & progressing.
Some of my main policy achievements include:
• I launched Food Vision 2030, our shared stakeholder-led strategy for the continuing development of the agri-food sector in Ireland. I believe Food Vision is a landmark for the Irish agri-food sector with the potential to transform our agriculture, food, forestry and marine sectors in the period to 2030, with sustainability in all its dimensions (environmental, economic and social) at its core. The final reports of the Food Vision Dairy Group and Food Vision Beef & Sheep Group have been published and propose detailed direct and enabling measures to improve environmental sustainability in the sector. I recently established a Food Vision Tillage group and launched the first Food Vision Annual Report.
• Targeted supports of nearly €2 billion per annum are paid by my Department, including supports to assist and build resilience within the sector as it has been affected by Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• The CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 came into effect on 1 January 2023. This will deliver €9.8 billion in vital support to farmers and rural communities over the next five years, aiming to meet the twin objectives of ensuring the continued viability of family farms and maximising the environmental and social sustainability of the sector. It includes the new flagship Agri-environmental scheme called ACRES (Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme), with over 46,000 applications received. While the expectation was that 30,000 contracts would be approved, I have decided to approve all eligible contracts. Young-trained farmers are a priority and receive support via the Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers Scheme and a priority allocation of payment entitlements from the National Reserve.
• An Rialálaí Agraibhia will be a new independent statutory Office under the aegis of my Department with two main functions: a price and market analysis and reporting function, and a regulatory enforcement function concerning the enforcement of prohibited unfair trading practices. The Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill which establishes the new office is currently before the Seanad.
• The Forest Strategy and Forest Implementation Plan (Including the Forestry Programme 2023-2027) was launched for public consultation. Sanction has been secured for a package of €1.318 billion for forestry, which will support the biggest and best-funded Forestry Programme ever in Ireland, including farmers receiving an additional five years of payments. My Department is at present awaiting state aid approval for this programme.
• I established the Seafood Sector Taskforce to assess the implications of the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and, following its report, establish support measures in place as well as continuing a programme of capital works around our coast.
• I continue to work closely with all stakeholders in gaining, maintaining, restoring and enhancing access for Irish agri-food products to a wide range of priority markets. This includes participating in an ongoing programme of trade missions and promotional activities, in cooperation with Bord Bia.
• Ongoing improvements in animal health and welfare, ensuring the highest standards in the world are maintained in Ireland.
In the period ahead, I will continue to:
• Address environmental sustainability policy issues including climate, biodiversity and water quality;
• Address the economic viability of our farmers and fishers, putting them at the core of what we do;
• Ensure the ongoing development of the agri-food sector generally, including trade, food safety and animal health & welfare issues.
368. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if peat regardless of its depth, which has been drained, reclaimed and farmed for livestock or tillage purposes, either intensively or extensively, can be returned to its undrained, un-reclaimed and undisturbed state; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31876/23]
View answerThe level to which an area of reclaimed peat used for agriculture can be returned, if so desired, to its “undisturbed state” depends on the original state, the level of reclamation, the intensity of management and the length of time since reclamation.
Each environmental element of the land’s original state, such as water quality and biodiversity etc., will have varying degrees of potential for restoration.
By way of example, a drained peat will have continuous high annual levels of CO2 emissions if land is maintained in a dry state. Changing the management and maintaining the high organic matter soil in a permanently moist/wet state will reduce the rate of oxidisation and thus reduce the rate of CO2 emissions.
On these lands the reduction of emissions is the main objective, as carbon sequestration is limited. This contrasts with the restoration of bogs where sequestration may occur on a restored site after an extended period, estimated at around 20 years, depending on site conditions.
There is much uncertainty in the data and knowledge related to peat soils used for agriculture and towards this end I continue to fund, among other initiatives, the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory, which will comprise approximately 30 GHG “Flux Towers” across a range of soil types, the ReWet project led by Teagasc and the University of Galway which is looking at the impact of water table management on carbon rich soils and two locally led European Innovation Partnership (EIP) projects on reduced management intensity of farmed peatlands.
These investments will provide a greater understanding of how to reduce GHG emissions from these soils and manage them more sustainably.
369. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how farming activities on peat compare to planting trees on peat in terms of emitting carbon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31877/23]
View answerCarbon sequestration by forests is influenced by a range of factors including species, soil type, site conditions and management practices. The rate of sequestration changes over time as a forest develops and matures. When forests are young the sequestration rate is low but as the trees mature, their ability to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) increases.
According to the Teagasc Farm Carbon Tool, the afforestation of one hectare of peat soils with 50% conifer (Sitka spruce) and 50% broadleaf (Sycamore, Alder and Birch mix) has the potential to remove 231 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare (tCO2/ha). This figure is per rotation of the forest, over the first and subsequent rotation. This is based on a mean annual sequestration rate of 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year (tCO2/ha/yr) for the conifer species and 0.5 tCO2 /ha/yr for the broadleaf species on peat soils. The impact on emissions depends on the depth of the peat.
In comparison, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emission values for farming activities on drained peat soils range from between 16.7 tons CO2 Equivalents per ha for grassland with nutrient rich soil with shallow drainage, to 37.6 tons CO2 Equivalents per ha for cropland with nutrient poor soil. Emissions are higher for cropland compared to permanent grassland as the soil is being disturbed annually, exposing the soil carbon and increasing the rate of oxidisation.
National specific peatland emission values are required for Ireland and to this end I continue to fund, among other initiatives, the National Agricultural Soil Carbon Observatory, which will comprise of approximately 30 GHG “Flux Towers” across a range of soil types. The data collected will enable Ireland to better quantify soil carbon emissions and sinks from agricultural land on peat soils.
The role of carbon sinks in climate policy is more important now than ever in helping us achieve our pathway towards carbon neutrality. Forestry has a significant role to play going forward and by acting now we can build a cleaner greener economy and society, which creates opportunities for us all.
My Department will continue to support farmers through the proposed new Forestry Programme 2023-2027 and through the significant commitments to schemes and payments under the CAP Strategic Plan. The Forestry Programme is now going through a process of State Aid approval with the European Commission in Brussels. When approval is received, we must work collectively to engage farmers and landowners to highlight the benefits of forestry.
370. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a detailed explanation regarding the significant quantities of beef imported into Ireland from the UK, as highlighted by recent figures published by the Central Statistics Office; the justification for this substantial influx; the intended markets for this imported beef; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31886/23]
View answer371. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the challenges faced by Irish beef farmers, including pressure on prices and increased input costs, how he justifies the importation of large quantities of UK beef; if these imports truly originate from the UK; if not, if they are sourced from other locations but pass through UK processing facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31887/23]
View answer372. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he has put in place to ensure that the importation of beef does not compromise Ireland's renowned world-class traceability standards; if he can provide reassurances regarding the transparency and sustainability of Ireland's local beef industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31888/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 370, 371 and 372 together.
I propose to take PQs 370, 371 and 372 together.
Ireland is among the largest exporters of beef in the Northern hemisphere.The volume of Irish exports in 2022 amounted to 492,000 tonnes of beef valued at more than €2.5 billion. Exports of beef to the UK alone were valued at approximately €1.1 billion. This compares to 37,000 tonnes of imports to Ireland in that period.
The Irish beef sector is therefore critically dependent on international trade, and therefore on the rules based order under WTO rules, EU Single Market rules, and the Trade and Co-operation Agreement agreed between the EU and UK post Brexit. Ireland Ireland cannot unilaterally depart from the rules that govern international trade, but if it did, the impact of reciprocal action from our trading partners could be absolutely catastrophic for our export dependent agri food sector.
Any meat imported from third countries including Great Britain is subject to certification requirements and the import control system operated by my Department at border control posts. The traceability standards of Irish beef are strictly enforced through our regulatory system.
Under EU law, there is specific country of origin labelling which forms part of the broader labelling legislation. A total of 160 meat premises are approved by my Department and it has a permanent veterinary presence at the 49 premises which slaughter animals and carries out risk-based audits, inspections, and official controls at the remaining approved meat premises.
My Department is responsible for ensuring that approved meat plants operate in compliance with harmonised EU rules. Approximately 250 veterinary and technical staff are routinely involved in supervising, regulating and controlling these standards at DAFM-approved meat plants.
These standards include the correct labelling of products and my officials based in these plants carry out constant monitoring through audit and inspection of labelling and traceability requirements. Labelling and traceability non-compliances can be considered fraudulent activities. There is a process in place for reporting any identified non-compliances and a range of sanctions can be applied including withdrawal of approval and prosecution of the food business if fraud is detected.
