Written Answers Nos. 1394-1415
1394. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to reintroduce a drainage scheme for farmland in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41663/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe possibility of including a measure on clearing drains in the farm safety scheme under TAMS II is included in the Programme for Partnership Government. Any such measure would require full compliance with environmental requirements including the need for a full national Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessments for any potentially affected Natura Areas. European Commission approval would therefore be a significant challenge. A number of key challenges therefore arise and a scheme for land drainage is not included in the current Rural Development Programme.
1395. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason there is a tax incentive to plant forestry; the objective of his Department with this scheme; the percentage of the west of Ireland which is predicted to be forested by 2020; and the percentage of land in Munster and Leinster which is predicted to be forested by 2020. [41664/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt has been Government policy for many years to increase the level of afforestation in Ireland. Forestry has many well-established advantages. It provides a viable alternative land use and an additional income stream for land owners, especially on less productive land. It stimulates economic activity in rural areas. Forestry now employs over 12,000 people and is worth €2.3 billion per annum to the Irish economy. It contributes greatly to climate change by soaking up and storing carbon. It also contributes to water quality and biodiversity.
The State encourages land owners to plant their land with trees through various tax concessions and financial incentives which cover the full cost of establishment. Although forestry brings many benefits, most of the financial benefits to land owners accrue some 30-40 years after planting when the forest reaches its optimum financial rotation. This time lag creates a difficulty for land owners who plant their land.
It is in this context that grants and premiums along with tax incentives are regarded by the State as the most effective way to encourage land owners to plant their land with trees in respect of both broadleaves and conifers. Without these incentives only a very small amount of land would be planted; this is borne out by the low level of planting that took place before the 1980s and before the introduction of the western package afforestation scheme (WPS). In the ten years prior to the introduction of the WPS in the 1980s the average annual rate of private afforestation was 227 hectares per annum. In 2016, the area planted was just under 6,500 hectares.
The aim of the Forestry Programme 2014 – 2020 is to establish almost 43,410 hectares of new forests during the 6 year programme period.
Forest area in Ireland is measured every five years as part of the national forest inventory. The 2012 inventory recorded a total of 731,650 hectares or 10.5% of the total land area of Ireland under forestry. Total forest cover in Munster and Leinster combined is 10.7% and for remaining counties located in the west of Ireland (Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo) the level of forest cover is also 10.7%. With regard to the level of forest cover in these regions in 2020, an indication of this will be provided in the 2017 and 2022 national forest inventories. Given that the total planting target under the new forestry programme represents an increase in forest cover of just 0.6%, the increase on a regional basis is not expected to be significant.
1396. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of the order under which his Department is holding payments for a person (details supplied). [41669/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra1397. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a previous reply in relation to a parliamentary question (details supplied) is incorrect; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41670/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra1398. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has an obligation to the bank and its representatives in relation to the case of a person (details supplied); if not, the reason his departmental officials were informing the banks of the different schemes which the person had entered into since their agreement with the bank despite having not been given authorisation by the person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41671/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra1399. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when his Department will release payments in respect of a person (details supplied) which are due to them in view of the fact that his Department does not have the authority to hold back these payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41672/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra1400. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason his departmental officials were in contact, as per a telephone call with a bank's solicitor, to see if another court order had been put in place in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41673/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra1401. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason moneys were held from a person (details supplied) when his Department was aware that a court order in relation to the person was out of date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41674/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1396 to 1401, inclusive, together.
My Department is complying with the terms of Orders of the High Court dated 19th November 2012 and 19th December 2016 in respect of the person named. A Court Order has been in place since 19th November 2012 and remains in place today. There are no Court Orders which went out of date for the person named.
The most recent information which my Department had at the time when I replied to the question referred to by the Deputy was that the plaintiff intended bringing an application before the Court on 24th October 2016 but my Department was subsequently informed that this application did not proceed on that date.
The Orders specified a range of schemes from which payments should be diverted to the plaintiff. However, the plaintiff has reached an agreement with the person named to only take specified payments from the Single Payment and Basic Payment schemes and that all other payments be issued directly to the person named.
My Department is obliged to comply with the terms of the Court Orders. My officials made contact with the plaintiff's solicitors for the purposes of clarifying the terms of the Order. The Court amendments on 19th December 2016, and the agreement reached between the parties, form part of this clarification. Failure to comply with the terms of a Court Order would be a contempt of court.
1402. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the value of capital investment projects and grants under way or approved for funding by his Department, for County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41780/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe value of Capital Investment projects and grants approved in County Wexford for the period in question amounts to €2,120,481.
Expenditure on these projects, to date, amounts to €1,262,101.
These figures are in addition to funding provided in respect of EU direct payments, and funding for Teagasc to support research, advisory and educational services, a portion of which would be attributable to Co. Wexford.
1403. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a GLAS payment will issue to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41849/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named was approved into GLAS 2 with a contract commencement date of 1 January 2016.
The first payment due to the person named is in respect of the 2016 scheme year. The application has successfully completed the necessary prepayment validation checks in respect of the 2016 scheme year and 85% payment issued on 22 December 2016.
The 2016 balancing payment will issue, after all on-the-spot checks, as required by governing regulations, have been carried out.
1404. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a national reserve payment appeal for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41853/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named submitted an application under the 2015 National Reserve ‘Old Young Farmer’ category to my Department. This application was not successful as the person named did not meet the educational criteria required under the terms and conditions of the National Reserve and Young Farmers Scheme. He was notified of this decision and was offered the opportunity to submit an appeal.
The person named subsequently submitted an appeal. This appeal was considered on the basis of the information provided by the person named and the records held by my Department. The outcome of the appeal was that the original decision was upheld. The person named was notified of this decision in writing and was offered the opportunity of a further appeal to the Basic Payment Scheme Appeals Committee. The person named has submitted this appeal. The Agricultural Appeals Office has recently finalised arrangements to manage such appeals and the person named has been notified in writing. The Agricultural Appeals Office will be in contact with the person named shortly.
1405. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when it is intended to introduce the promised so-called hen harrier scheme for farmers whose land is designated for the hen harrier; the amount of money that will be payable to farmers each year under the scheme; the length of the scheme; the terms of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41882/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the first instance, I should say that I have already provided for a significant framework of support for farmers with hen-harrier designated land through GLAS. Farmers with land identified as important for the hen-harrier are guaranteed access to the scheme as priority candidates in Tier One of GLAS. I have also provided that such farmers will be automatically approved for GLAS Plus should they be farming sufficient area of habitat. Under GLAS, farmers qualify for a payment rate of €370 per hectare and can earn up to €7,000 per annum through a combination of GLAS and GLAS Plus payments. Over 2,100 farmers have been accepted into GLAS 1 & GLAS 2 with a hen-harrier action and this number will increase significantly once the approvals for GLAS 3 have been finalised.
My Department is currently in the process of introducing important new schemes under the locally-led umbrella, for the conservation of the hen harrier and freshwater pearl mussel. I have provided a total budget of €35 million for these two schemes. Part of this process requires the recruitment, by public tender, of a Project Team to help develop and deliver these schemes on behalf of my Department, following a similar model to the highly successful Burren farming conservation measure. The closing date for the tender is 24 January 2017 and I would expect that the successful tenderer will be offered a contract before the end of February.
The successful tenderer will be directly involved in drawing up the terms and conditions for the schemes, along with the range of actions to be applied and associated payments. This will be done in consultation with officials from my Department and from the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, as well as drawing on local knowledge and inputs from farmers on the ground. Once this stage has been completed, the process of recruiting farmers for a five year scheme will commence.
1406. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the process of the review of areas of natural constraint being undertaken by the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1003/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraArticle 32 of EU Regulation 1305/2013 requires all member states to implement a new system for designating eligible areas under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme from 2018 at the latest. At present, eligible land under the scheme is designated by reference to criteria such as stocking density, family farm income, population density and the percentage of the working population engaged in agriculture.
Under the new system of designation which must be introduced in 2018, eligible areas will have to be designated on the basis of biophysical criteria. The criteria set out in the legislation are:
- Low temperature
- Dryness
- Excess soil moisture
- Limited soil drainage
- Unfavourable texture and stoniness
- Shallow rooting depth
- Poor chemical properties
- Steep slope.
My Department has commenced work on this project, and relevant technical experts are currently sourcing and analysing the data in relation to the new criteria. This analysis will identify areas deemed to be facing natural constraints, which will in parallel, be subjected to a refinement process via fine tuning.
Once this process is complete, the draft data will provide the basis for the identification of eligible areas for ANC. It is envisaged that stakeholders will be consulted as this process develops.
1407. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if, in relation to the review being undertaken by the EU of areas of natural constraint, he plans to put out a call for public submissions on the matter; when this will be done; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1004/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraArticle 32 of EU Regulation 1305/2013 requires all member states to implement a new system for designating eligible areas under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme from 2018 at the latest. At present, eligible land under the scheme is designated by reference to criteria such as stocking density, family farm income, population density and the percentage of the working population engaged in agriculture.
Under the new system of designation which must be introduced in 2018, eligible areas will have to be designated on the basis of biophysical criteria. The criteria set out in the legislation are:
- Low temperature
- Dryness
- Excess soil moisture
- Limited soil drainage
- Unfavourable texture and stoniness
- Shallow rooting depth
- Poor chemical properties
- Steep slope.
My Department has commenced work on this project, and relevant technical experts are currently sourcing and analysing the data in relation to the new criteria. This analysis will identify areas deemed to be facing natural constraints, which will in parallel, be subjected to a refinement process via fine tuning.
Once this process is complete, the draft data will provide the basis for the identification of eligible areas for ANC. It is envisaged that stakeholders will be consulted as this process develops.
1408. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of input national governments have into the review of areas of natural constraint being undertaken by the EU; the level of discretion the Government will have; if such discretion will involve national government input into the exclusion or inclusion of eligible land; if such discretion will involve the level of payments which apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1005/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraArticle 32 of EU Regulation 1305/2013 requires all member states to implement a new system for designating eligible areas under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme from 2018 at the latest. At present, eligible land under the scheme is designated by reference to criteria such as stocking density, family farm income, population density and the percentage of the working population engaged in agriculture.
Under the new system of designation which must be introduced in 2018, eligible areas will have to be designated on the basis of biophysical criteria. The criteria set out in the legislation are:
- Low temperature
- Dryness
- Excess soil moisture
- Limited soil drainage
- Unfavourable texture and stoniness
- Shallow rooting depth
- Poor chemical properties
- Steep slope.
My Department has commenced work on this project, and relevant technical experts are currently sourcing and analysing the data in relation to the new criteria. This analysis will identify areas deemed to be facing natural constraints, which will in parallel, be subjected to a refinement process via fine tuning.
Once this process is complete, the draft data will provide the basis for the identification of eligible areas for ANC. It is envisaged that stakeholders will be consulted as this process develops.
1409. Deputy Marc MacSharry asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when it is intended to restore the level of ANC payments to the 2008 level they were when reduced due to the financial crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1006/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Rural Development Plan (RDP), 2014-2020 includes an allocation of €1,370m for the Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme. In addition, 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. This will entail the insertion of a new Areas of Natural Constraints scheme into the RDP by way of a formal amendment. The technical work underlying this process is currently underway.
1410. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of a grant for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1010/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAn application under the Dairy Equipment Scheme measure under TAMS II was submitted in this case. The application in this case was the subject of a prepayment inspection. Following this inspection there are issues with the payment claim which are being followed up with a view to finalising the claim as quickly as possible.
1411. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total expenditure on the rural development programme, RDP, for each of the years 2014 to 2016, broken down by schemes (details supplied), in tabular form; the reason for the low spend to date on the RDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1028/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is set out below:
Of the schemes listed by the Deputy there was no expenditure for the Knowledge Transfer Scheme in the years listed.
|
Title of Scheme |
2014 Outturn €000 |
2015 Outturn €000 |
2016 Provisional Outturn €000 |
|
Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme |
194,238 |
205,906 |
206,433 |
|
Beef Data and Genomics Programme |
21,751 |
34,692 |
61,896 |
|
AEOS |
60,773 |
79,801 |
32,200 |
|
GLAS |
0 |
11,453 |
102,615 |
|
Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme |
16,456 |
24,830 |
7,836 |
|
Early Retirement Scheme |
10,523 |
7,143 |
4,406 |
|
Organic Farming Schemes |
0 |
7,969 |
8,018 |
|
REPS |
139,549 |
32,009 |
3,517 |
|
Locally Led Environmental Schemes |
0 |
0 |
1,973 |
|
Technical Assistance |
140 |
122 |
902 |
|
Collaborative Farming |
0 |
80 |
339 |
|
Speciality Foods Scheme |
36 |
36 |
33 |
|
Targeted Advisory Service for Animal Disease |
0 |
0 |
228 |
|
Totals |
443,466 |
404,041 |
430,396 |
Please note that the REPS headings for each of 2014, 2015 and 2016 include expenditure of almost €2 million on the Agriculture Catchment Programme and Environmental Awareness initiatives, which are not co-funded under RDP.
Expenditure in 2016 for a number of schemes funded under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme was lower than the estimate provision. This was particularly the case in:
- Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme; a lower than anticipated number of farmers holding TAMS approvals submitted claims for completed investments.
- GLAS: Expenditure in GLAS was for the first full year of the Scheme and payments are continuing in 2017 as compliance information/verification is received from participants. GLAS is a 5 year scheme co-funded by the EU under the RDP 2014-2020 and participating farmers will be paid in full for their contracts over the period of the implementation of the RDP.
- AEOS: A number of participants from AEOS transferring to the GLAS scheme for 2016-2020 reduced expenditure in 2016. Furthermore, in certain circumstances the processing of the final year payment of a multi-year AEOS contract is administratively complex and it was not possible to complete the necessary procedures in time for payment to issue in 2016 for a significant number of AEOS 2 participants. It is expected that these will be paid in the coming weeks.
€606m has been provided for RDP schemes in 2017 when expenditure on virtually all schemes is anticipated will increase from the 2016 levels. The largest additional expenditure will be in GLAS where participants in the 3rd Tranche will become eligible for payments for the first time, and in both the Knowledge Transfer scheme and the Animal Welfare Scheme for Sheep participants where the first payments will be made. Increased expenditure is also projected for TAMS, Organic Farming Scheme and Locally led Environmental Schemes.
1412. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total allocation in the rural development programme, RDP, 2014 to 2020, broken down by schemes (details supplied), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1029/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested is currently been compiled and will be forwarded as soon as possible to the Deputy.
1413. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the allocation in the Revised Estimates for 2017 for the rural development programme, RDP, 2014 to 2020, broken down by schemes (details supplied), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1030/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is set out below:
|
Title of Scheme |
2017 Allocation €000 |
|
Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme |
202,000 |
|
Beef Data and Genomics Programme |
52,000 |
|
AEOS |
11,000 |
|
GLAS |
214,000 |
|
Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme |
50,000 |
|
Early Retirement Scheme |
3,210 |
|
Organic Farming Scheme |
10,500 |
|
REPS |
250 |
|
Locally Led Environmental Scheme |
6,000 |
|
Technical Assistance |
1,000 |
|
Collaborative Farming |
500 |
|
Speciality Foods Scheme |
2,000 |
|
Targeted Advisory Service for Animal disease |
1,000 |
|
Knowledge Transfer Scheme |
25,621 |
|
Animal Welfare Scheme for Sheep |
25,000 |
|
Traditional Buildings |
1,000 |
|
Continuous Professional Development |
200 |
|
European Innovation Programme |
700 |
|
Totals |
605,981 |
The combined 2017 allocation for RDP schemes other than LEADER which is not operated by my Department is €605,981,000 which represents a 23% increase on the amount allocated to RDP schemes under the aegis of my Department in 2016.
1414. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will accept the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine for action in support of the tillage sector. [1046/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra1415. Deputy Kevin O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will make compensation available to tillage farmers as proposed in appendix 1 under the heading, Immediate Response to the Crisis in the Irish Tillage Sector of the Requirement for Action in Support of the Irish Tillage Sector, in the report by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. [1047/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1414 and 1415 together.
I was pleased to have the opportunity to address the Committee on December 6th last. The exchange with members which followed was both useful and informative. During this exchange I outlined in some detail the response of my Department to the difficulties posed by harvest conditions in 2016. I would like to take this opportunity to further address these issues as presented for consideration in the submission by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Following a meeting with the main stakeholders in the tillage sector in October of last year I addressed a particular difficulty that faces not just tillage farmers but all farmers: access to low-cost more flexible finance, by introducing a €150 million Agri Cash Flow Loan Support Scheme. This has been developed in conjunction with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), by leveraging EU and Exchequer funding totalling €25m from my Department, to deliver a total loan fund of €150 million, which will support highly flexible loans for up to six years, for amounts up to €150,000.
The interest rate applying is 2.95% and the product will be available to livestock, tillage and horticulture farmers. Loans to tillage and horticulture farmers will be provided in line with the EU’s Agriculture State Aid de minimis requirements.
This is a cash flow support facility, to improve the working capital position of farmers and other viable primary agriculture SMEs. The loans will be unsecured and are primarily to pay down expensive forms of credit such as merchant credit, and other short-term financing facilities such as overdrafts. The SBCI is targeting that the loans will be available in the market by the end of January 2017. Farmers are encouraged to consider their cash flow and borrowings situation now and, if appropriate to their circumstances, to be prepared to apply for these loans when they become available.
The loan scheme is part of a “three pillar strategy” in response to income volatility announced in Budget 2017, along with additional tax measures and farm payments. Among the tax measures is an adjustment to the current ‘Income Averaging’ system, which allows for an opt-out in an exceptional year. This is available for 2016 tax liability, and will go some way towards addressing cash flow concerns.
As an additional support to cash flow on farms, including tillage farms, advance payments were made in 2016 in respect of the Basic Payment and Greening Payment schemes. These advance payments commenced on the 17th October last. To date €1,162 billion has been paid out to more than 122,465 farmers and payments are ongoing. Payments in excess of €195 million have been made to more than 91,000 applicants under the Areas of Natural Constraints scheme.
It is my intention that the new TAMS Scheme, specifically tailored to the tillage sector, will open shortly. This scheme will support grain growers in achieving further economic efficiencies and details will be made available in the near future.
With regard to the proposal on medium to long-term actions to develop the sector, many of the actions identified are worthy of further consideration. A Tillage Sector Development Plan was prepared and published by the Teagasc Tillage Crop Stakeholder Consultative Group. This report was launched by the then Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD and made a significant contribution towards implementation of the Food Harvest 2020 report.
The Tillage Stakeholder Consultative Group made a further significant contribution to the development of the Food Wise 2025 chapter on priorities and actions for the tillage sector. The group continued to refine and prioritise key objectives for the sector and on my invitation made a presentation to the Food Wise 2025 High Level Implementation Committee in September of last year. Indeed I understand that the group is already looking at several of the proposed actions contained in the Committee’s submission and I look forward to hearing from it on these points in the coming months.
