Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 July 2015
126. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he continues to have ongoing dialogue with the farming community in regard to its concerns regarding the beef data and genomic scheme, with particular reference to the detailed submission he received from the farming organisations, including the Irish Farmers Association; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26651/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware the BDGP forms part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme and allocates funding of some €300 million over the next six years to suckler farmers in Ireland. The BDGP builds on the large strategic investment in data recording and genomics which has been made in Ireland in recent years. It will ultimately bring about fundamental improvements to the entire sector by substantially improving the overall genetic quality of the national beef herd, which is an objective I believe we all should share.
The BDGP was launched on 5 May and my Department received just under 30,000 applications by the extended closing date of 5 June. While analysis of the applications is still ongoing, I am delighted to record that the initial figures suggest that the programme is fully subscribed. This level of interest is, I believe, a vindication of our efforts to further improve suckler farming. It is also testimony to the commitment of suckler farms in Ireland to continuous improvement and their openness to innovation where it can deliver real measurable benefits.
The BDGP is the next logical step in the development of our suckler herd. It builds on the schemes operated by my Department in recent years and most of the actions will already be familiar to the majority of farmers entering the scheme, including the data recording elements and the genotyping requirements.
Both my Department and the ICBF have published Questions and Answers documents to address queries being raised by farmers. Programme participants can contact my Department directly with any specific queries they may have regarding scheme conditions. They will also receive additional information specific to their herds in the coming weeks from ICBF which will provide a useful overview of the current euro star ratings of the animals on their herds. This will then be followed by dedicated training courses which scheme participants will be paid to attend.
I know that concerns have been raised by different farming organisations, including the Irish Farmers' Association, and where possible I have moved to address the concerns raised. Additional flexibility has been included to permit the use of 2015, as opposed to 2014, as the base year for payments, in certain circumstances. The concerns regarding scheme exit have also been considered and my Department has confirmed that where an applicant sells or leases his/her land, or transfers it by inheritance or gift, there will be no clawback of funds. Of course, where an applicant retains sufficient land to fulfil the requirements of the Programme, he or she is required to continue to meet the terms of the Programme.
Finally, I have committed to a mid-term review of the operation of the programme, which will include input from all of the stakeholders, including farm organisations. For now, I would like to welcome the 30,000 or so applicants to the scheme and assure them of continued support over the lifetime of the scheme from my Department, Teagasc and ICBF so that they may derive maximum benefit from the scheme for their farm.
