Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1289. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if will consider an emergency support package for the tillage sector (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38061/23]
View answerI am acutely aware and appreciate the many challenges that tillage farmers have experienced this year. It is because of these challenges that I established the Food Vision Tillage Group which held its first meeting in May of this year. The Tillage Group is made up of a wide range of stakeholders from across the industry and is tasked with setting out a roadmap for the sustainable growth and development of the sector. I will consider their recommendations when they are forwarded to me in due course.
The tillage sector is dynamic, sustainable and world-class and I want to see it grow and flourish in the years ahead. In recent years, I have introduced several proactive and innovative measures to support it. The Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) has paid €19.5m to tillage farmers since it was launched as a pilot in 2021 and I have committed to pay a further €16.2m for SIM this year. The Tillage Incentive Scheme (TIS) launched in response to the invasion of Ukraine has resulted in payment of €10.9m to scheme applicants in 2022. The Tillage incentive Scheme is continuing this year.
In the new CAP Strategic Plan, I secured an increase in the annual budget of the Protein Aid Scheme from €3m to €7m. The successful addition of the Straw Incorporation Measure and the Protein Aid Scheme in the CSP results in a total budget of €85M for tillage between 2023 and 2027. Our new Agri-Environmental Scheme (ACRES) includes a broad range of actions that are relevant to tillage farmers while the new Tillage Capital Investment Scheme under TAMS contains a broader range of investments and a higher investment ceiling of €90,000.
The tillage sector is an important and integral component of the Agri-food industry, and its importance is recognised in the Food Vision 2030 strategy and in the Climate Action Plan. I want to put this industry on a firm footing going into the future and I assure the Deputy that I will continue to support the industry to deliver on its potential.
