Written Answers Nos 788-806
788. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26697/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraTotal allocated funding in respect of payments under Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme is €1,370m, or €195 million annually. The 2016 Revised Estimates have committed an additional €7m in funding for the ANC scheme in 2016 .
The Programme for a Partnership Government sets out the commitment to increase the budget for the ANC Scheme by €25m in Budget 2018. In parallel, the Rural Development Regulation requires all Member States to designate eligible areas under the ANC Scheme by reference to new biophysical criteria by 2018. The technical work underlying this process is currently underway, and the additional €25m will be integrated into the resultant scheme design process in 2018.
789. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding TAMS II; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26698/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe funding for TAMS II is part of the Budgetary process and the Budget for 2017 has yet to be finalised.
790. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to increase the level of financial support available to farmers faced with a positive identification, PI, under the BVD eradication programme given that the costs of disposal of an infected calf and the replacement of the animal is in the region of €500; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26702/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe farming community stands to gain approximately €100 million per annum from the eradication of BVD. Notwithstanding these gains which fall exclusively to the farming community, my Department provides a system of supports towards the removal of persistently infected (PI) calves.
The financial supports available for farmers faced with the removal of persistently infected BVD calves born in 2016 provide for an increased payment of €140 for each beef breed PI born in a suckler herd that is shown to be disposed of to a knackery within 5 weeks of the first test. A reduced payment of €90 applies in respect of such calves disposed of to a knackery within 7 weeks of the first test. For dairy herds, the focus of the supports available is on the loss of the dairy breed heifer calf where there is a payment of €120 for each PI calf born and disposed of to a knackery within 5 weeks of the first test. A reduced payment of €70 applies in respect of such calves disposed of to a knackery within 7 weeks of the first test.
In addition to the financial supports for removal of PI calves, my Department has committed to continue to provide, free of charge, a blood based test to confirm the PI status of those calves that give a positive test result on tag testing. The Department is also providing a blood test for the dams of those calves and any progeny of PI cows.
791. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding income averaging in the farming community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26716/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra804. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on whether income averaging should be amended to provide extra flexibility in a year when income falls significantly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26818/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 791 and 804 together.
The publication of the ‘Agri-taxation Review’ in Budget 2015 put in place a comprehensive taxation strategy for the sector. The Government’s commitment to agriculture was evidenced by the implementation of the Review’s recommendations over the past two budgets. This has seen a series of positive changes for Irish agriculture, especially in the areas of land mobility and succession, all of which will support the aims of Food Wise 2025 in terms of increasing the productivity of Irish farms.
The Agri-taxation Review included two recommendations specifically to help address farm income volatility, both of which were introduced in Budget 2015: tetain and enhance ‘Income Averaging’ by increasing the period from 3 to 5 years, providing more scope for income smoothing within a commodity price cycle; allow averaging to be availed of where a farmer and/or their spouse receive income from an on-farm diversification trade or profession.
Of course recent difficult market conditions have brought renewed focus to this issue. The ‘Programme for a Partnership Government’ states regarding agri-taxation:“We will also investigate taxation measures aimed at supporting farmers through periods of volatility”. Consideration of this and the various issues involved is ongoing in the context of Budget 2017 deliberations with my colleague the Minister for Finance.
792. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding earned income tax credits in the farming community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26719/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe changes made by the Minister for Finance in last year’s budget to the taxation of the self-employed have benefitted farmers, foresters, fishers and small food processors, the majority of whom are self-employed. Minister Noonan has said that he will continue to promote and support entrepreneurship. Consideration of specific proposals in this regard is ongoing in the context of Budget 2017 deliberations.
793. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding agri-environment schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26724/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information sought by the Deputy is as follows:
|
Scheme |
Allocation 2016 |
|
GLAS |
€141m |
|
AEOS |
€38.84m |
|
REPS |
€4.204m |
|
Organics |
€10m |
It should be noted that when GLAS is fully subscribed, annual expenditure of €250m per annum is anticipated.
All expenditure on the Schemes involved is subject to on-going budgetary procedures.
794. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the new sheep payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26726/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government commits to the introduction of a scheme for sheep farmers under the Rural Development Programme with a budget of some €25 million to be provided in Budget 2017. Any such scheme must meet criteria laid down by Rural Development Regulation. This scheme, in addition to the existing supports for sheep farmers under the BPS, GLAS, ANC and TAMS, will make a vital contribution to the sheep sector in Ireland.
My Department has engaged in extensive consultation with farm organisations and industry stakeholders, and met with officials of the European Commission to discuss the proposed new scheme in the context of the specific requirements of the Rural Development Programme . In light of these consultations, my Department has recently submitted to the European Commission a proposed Animal Welfare scheme for sheep as part of Ireland's second amendment to its Rural Development Programme (RDP).
795. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the beef data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26727/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) is a part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme and provides Irish suckler farmers with some €300 million of funding over the next 6 years. The BDGP builds on the large investment in data recording and genomics which have been made in recent years and will continue to drive further developments and improvements in this area.
The BDGP has been agreed with the European Commission as part of Ireland’s Rural Development Plan (2014-2020) alongside a number of other schemes. I am conscious of the positive effect that the programme will have on the Irish suckler herd. It will help to improve productivity, profitability and carbon efficiency in the Irish suckler herd. I firmly believe that the scheme will deliver long-term and cumulative positive effects for both suckler farmers participating in the scheme, and farmers who buy the progeny of suckler cows for further finishing. It is a significant contributor to Ireland’s reputation as a producer of sustainable beef.
In relation to any possible reopening of the scheme, this will have to be considered in the context of an assessment of budgetary priorities, the operation of the Rural Development Programme and the potential impact both upon the scheme itself and other schemes. However, it will not be possible to allocate additional resources to the scheme, having regard to the very large financial commitment already made to the BDGP in the Rural Development Programme, and the significant budgetary pressures across the agrifood sector.
796. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26728/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraTotal allocated funding in respect of payments under Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme is €1,370m, or €195 million annually. The 2016 Revised Estimates have committed an additional €7m in funding for the ANC scheme in 2016 .
The Programme for a Partnership Government sets out the commitment to increase the budget for the ANC Scheme by €25m in Budget 2018. In parallel, the Rural Development Regulation requires all Member States to designate eligible areas under the ANC Scheme by reference to new biophysical criteria by 2018. The technical work underlying this process is currently underway, and the additional €25m will be integrated into the resultant scheme design process in 2018.
797. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of an agricultural payments appeal by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26733/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the 2015 Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme was received in my Department from the person named on 31 March 2016, thus incurring a 100% late penalty. Medical evidence, in support of his case was included by him with this application. My Department wrote to him on 19 July, requesting further details relating to his medical condition. To date, no reply has been received from him. As soon as a reply is received, his case will be further examined.
798. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26740/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis herd is restricted for identification reasons arising from a check in July 2016. Nine discrepancies were identified in relation to bovine movements. 4 of these have been resolved. The RVO is working with the keeper to resolve the outstanding issues. The herd can be de-restricted once the outstanding issues have been resolved.
799. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department will respond to a person (details supplied) who over a month ago sent proof of the fact they had previously sent in an amended form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26743/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted an application under the 2015 Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraint Schemes which was received in the Department on 19 May 2015. Payments issued to the nominated bank account of the person named in respect of these schemes in December 2015 and April 2016 respectively.
My Department received further documentation regarding an amendment form having been submitted by the person named. However, my Department has no record of having received this amendment. On foot of PQ 16490/16 my Department corresponded with the person named requesting the required proof of submission of the amendment to the application . The Terms & Conditions of the Basic Payment Scheme state that any postal amendment is only valid when a Swiftpost or registered post receipt is provided. The reply of the person named, received in my Department on 15 July, did not contain any Swiftpost or registered post receipt. An official from my Department will contact the person named directly to discuss this matter.
800. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive a GLAS payment. [26750/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under Tranche 1 of GLAS was received in my Department on the 16 May 2015 and the person named was approved into the GLAS 1 with effect from 1 October 2015.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue.
The application of the person named has not successfully completed the latest GLAS pre-payment validation checks in respect of the 2015 scheme year. During this checking process, under the Forestry Check an issue was identified with some parcels which requires further examination. Department officials are working to resolve this issue and when this has been resolved the payment will be processed at the earliest opportunity.
801. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will review the criteria for entry into the knowledge transfer scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26758/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Knowledge Transfer Programme targets 27,000 farmers for the duration of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020. All RDP schemes are required to incorporate eligibility and selection criteria to ensure equitable treatment of applicants, better use of financial resources, and targeting of measures in accordance with the European Union priorities for rural development. In common with other measures under the RDP, monitoring of targets and associated budgets is ongoing over the life of the Programme, in conjunction with the annual estimates process.
802. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason entitlements were not allocated under the 2015 Scottish derogation to a person (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26775/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraDepartment records indicate that the person named did not submit an application under the 2015 ‘Scottish Derogation’ measure of the Basic Payment scheme and therefore was ineligible for consideration for an allocation of entitlements under the Scheme. Under EU Regulations governing the Scheme, the Scottish Derogation measure was available to applicants for 2015 only.
803. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine , further to Parliamentary Question No. 21 of 27 April 2016, when payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26791/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under Tranche 1 of GLAS was received in my Department on 19 May 2015 and the person named was approved into GLAS 1 with effect from 1 October 2015.
Under the EU Regulations governing the Scheme and other area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any payment can issue.
During this checking process in respect of the 2015 scheme year, issues were identified with the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) cross checks which require further examination. The GLAS application of the person named cannot be further processed for payment until these BPS issues have been addressed and brought to a satisfactory conclusion.
805. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total travel expenses reimbursement costs incurred by his Department per annum from 2011 to 2016 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26854/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information the Deputy has requested is set out in the following table.
The largest component of my Department’s travel expenditure is required for home travel in the control inspections for EU schemes, animal health controls and meat inspection services. Also, my Department’s travel expenditure includes the costs associated with our obligations to attend meetings in Brussels related to the European Union. Additional foreign travel is undertaken for the purpose of increasing access to important third country markets.
Travel expenditure is continuously being monitored and activities that require regular travel are reviewed with a view to keeping travel costs at a minimum.
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2011 |
€8,763,706 |
|
2012 |
€8,212,966 |
|
2013 |
€8,105,695 |
|
2014 |
€8,048,844 |
|
2015 |
€8,075,073 |
|
2016 to date |
€5,711,078
|
806. Deputy Frank O'Rourke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has a specific data protection officer in place; if that position is exclusive or if the position holder has other duties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26870/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has a dedicated Data Protection Unit which deals exclusively with all matters related to the Data Protection Acts. The Unit is also responsible for the implementation of the provisions of a new EU General Data Protection Regulation, which will take effect in May 2018. This latter legislation provides that all Data Controllers of a public body should have a Data Protection Officer in place.
Arrangements are well advanced to ensure compliance with all requirements of the new Regulation including the appointment of a Data Protection Officer, within the required timescale.
