Written Answers Nos. 175-184
175. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the case of a person (details supplied) who has not received a farm payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3570/17]
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 now successfully completed all of the required prepayment checks in respect of 2016 and the first instalment for 2016 is expected to issue shortly.
176. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when checks will be completed on the GLAS payment of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3582/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 October 2015 and has received full entitlements in respect of the 2015 scheme year.
In relation to the Low Emission Slurry Spreading action in this application, a query was identified on the Slurry Declaration Form which was received from the person named. The Department has sent a letter to the person named regarding this query and once a satisfactory response is received by the Department, the application will be further processed for payment in respect of the 2016 scheme year.
177. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will clarify the issue in relation to commonage for a person (details supplied); when he expects the issue will be resolved; if his Department will liaise accordingly with the person to keep them informed of the delays and relating issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3583/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named was approved into GLAS 1 with a contract commencement date of 1 October 2015 and has received full entitlements in respect of the 2015 scheme year.
During the prepayment checks in respect of the 2016 scheme year an issue was identified with the commonage action. The interim Commonage Farm Plan form for the person named has now been processed by my Department and the application will now be further processed with the intention of issuing payment for 2016 at the earliest opportunity.
178. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the national reserve will be opening in 2017 for new applications for young farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3584/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2015 the National Reserve fund was based on a 3% cut to the Basic Payment Scheme financial ceiling and provided some €24 million in funding which was the maximum financing rate available under the relevant EU Regulations. Some 6,300 farmers received an allocation of entitlements under the 2015 National Reserve. There was no National Reserve in 2016 as all available funding had been utilised under the 2015 scheme. In order to provide for a National Reserve in 2017 funding is required to replenish the Reserve. EU Regulations governing the scheme provide that funding for the replenishment of the National Reserve may be obtained by means of surrender of entitlements that remain unused by farmers for two consecutive years and by claw-back derived following the sale of entitlements without land. It is envisaged that funding derived from these two sources in 2017 will be very limited. The Regulations also provide for the application of a linear cut to the value of all farmers’ entitlements to replenish the National Reserve. Under the National Reserve priority access for an allocation of entitlements is given to the two mandatory categories of ‘young farmer’ and ‘new entrant to farming’. Decisions in relation to the National Reserve in 2017 will be made once the position on potential funding has been established.
Consultation between Department officials and the Direct Payments Advisory Committee comprising members of the main farming organisations, agricultural education and farm advisory bodies takes place annually as part of the decision making process for the National Reserve. Consultation in relation to the 2017 Reserve is due to take place shortly.
179. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of greyhounds and other dogs exported to EU and non-EU countries in 2016 and to date in 2017; and the action he will take to cease the export of Irish greyhounds to Pakistan for use in coursing. [3585/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraOnce appropriate animal health and welfare certification requirements are met, dogs, including greyhounds, may be exported internationally. Health certification arrangements are in place and exporters are also required to comply with the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 1 of 2005 on the protection of animals during transport.
Over the course of 2016 officials of my Department met with Bord na gCon, the organisation which is responsible for the governance, regulation and development of the greyhound industry in Ireland, and with the welfare members of the International Greyhound Forum (represented by the ISPCA and the Dogs Trust) to consider the issues surrounding the export of greyhounds. Bord na gCon advises all owners involved in the export of greyhounds to only export to destinations that provide the expected levels of greyhound care and management as defined in the IGB's Code of Practice for the welfare of greyhounds. I fully endorse this view.
There are no requirements or facilities for recording the breed of dog as part of the export certification process. Accordingly, it is not possible to provide the Deputy with the breakdown of export trade statistics he is seeking. A detailed breakdown of canine exports from Ireland during 2016 and 2017 to-date are set out in the following table. There is no record at this point of direct exports to Pakistan.
|
Country of Destination |
Number of animals exported in 2016 |
Number of animals exported 1 to 24 January 2017 |
|
Argentina |
1 |
0 |
|
Austria |
5 |
0 |
|
Belgium |
47 |
5 |
|
Bermuda |
1 |
0 |
|
Switzerland |
12 |
0 |
|
China |
9 |
0 |
|
Czech Republic |
63 |
0 |
|
Germany |
326 |
8 |
|
Denmark |
12 |
1 |
|
Spain |
66 |
0 |
|
Finland |
25 |
0 |
|
France |
15 |
0 |
|
Great Britain |
9,660 |
717 |
|
Gibraltar |
1 |
0 |
|
Greece |
19 |
0 |
|
Italy |
443 |
15 |
|
Lithuania |
0 |
1 |
|
Luxembourg |
3 |
0 |
|
Netherlands |
20 |
3 |
|
Norway |
50 |
0 |
|
Poland |
1 |
0 |
|
Portugal |
69 |
11 |
|
Sweden |
1,201 |
36 |
|
Slovenia |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
12,049 |
797 |
180. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a person (details supplied) in County Galway is registered to participate on the knowledge transfer programme that opened for applications on 19 May 2016 and had a closing date of the 30 June 2016; if not, when the next opportunity will be available for the person to participate on this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3586/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe person named is not registered to participate in the Knowledge Transfer Programme. Knowledge Transfer Facilitators were required to register participants in their Knowledge Transfer Groups in the eight week period to 14 July 2016.
At present there is no decision to re-open the Knowledge Transfer Programme. However, in common with other measures under the Rural Development Programme, monitoring of targets and associated budgets is ongoing over the life of the Programme, in conjunction with the annual estimates process.
181. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the new low cost flexible loans will be available to farmers; the banks that will be administrating the loans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3591/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraOne of my priorities has been to address the impact on farmers of the sustained period of lower commodity prices, which has caused cash flow difficulties for farmers in several sectors. The Agriculture Cashflow Support Loan Scheme was developed by my Department in co-operation with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI). It will provide farmers with a low cost, flexible source of working capital and will allow them to pay down more expensive forms of short-term debt, ensuring the ongoing financial sustainability of viable farming enterprises.
This innovative loan Scheme will make €150 million available to farmers throughout Ireland at low-cost interest rates of 2.95%. This is supported by €25 million being provided by my Department, including €11 million in EU exceptional adjustment aid. There were a number of applications submitted in response to the SBCI’s "Open Call" for financial institutions to participate in the Scheme, which were the subject of a formal approval process. The SBCI is aiming to bring the loans to market by the end of January and I hope to make an announcement in this regard shortly, including the details of participating financial institutions.
182. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers in counties Cavan and Monaghan that did not receive their 85% payment for 2015 to date in 2017 under the GLAS scheme; the number in the GLAS scheme at 31 December 2016 broken down on the same basis; the reason for the delay in payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3601/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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 following table outlines the number of farmers in Cavan and Monaghan actively participating in GLAS 1 that are due a payment in respect of the 2015 scheme year and the number of GLAS 1 farmers that have not received a payment in respect of 2015.
|
Scheme |
Numbers of active applications for Cavan |
Number of applications not paid for Cavan |
Numbers of active applications for Monaghan |
Number of applications not paid for Monaghan |
|
GLAS 1 |
801 |
9 |
464 |
6 |
The following table outlines the number of farmers in Cavan and Monaghan actively participating in GLAS 1 and 2 that are due a payment in respect of the 2016 scheme year and the number of GLAS 1 and 2 farmers that have not received a payment in respect of 2016.
|
Scheme |
Numbers of active applications for Cavan |
Number of applications not paid for Cavan |
Numbers of active applications for Monaghan |
Number of applications not paid for Monaghan |
|
GLAS 1 |
916 |
211 |
585 |
145
|
|
GLAS 2 |
448 |
114 |
152 |
38
|
Work on processing cases which did not pass the required pre payment checks, is on-going with a view to effecting payment as quickly as possible.
183. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proposals he has put forward to the European Commission and-or at the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers in relation to the need to introduce a comprehensive programme to reduce fertiliser costs throughout the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3609/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe matter of reducing fertiliser costs throughout the EU gained traction in early 2016 due to the ongoing market difficulties being experienced by farmers across the dairy, pigmeat and fruit and vegetable sectors.
Statistical analysis has shown that fertiliser is a significant expenditure item on EU farms, accounting for €19.2 billion in 2014 (EUROSTAT), while the imposition of anti-dumping duties and customs tariffs on fertilisers is costing farmers up to €1 billion per annum (International Food and Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)).
I have long believed that the elimination of fertiliser tariffs and anti-dumping duties is something that could help farmers reduce their input costs and in this context I asked the Commission to consider a temporary suspension of customs tariffs and anti-dumping duties on fertilisers in the lead up to the Council of Agriculture Ministers in March last year.
This is something that I actively pursued at Council throughout 2016, both with the Commission and in consultation with my Council colleagues, and in fact raised again at Council of Agriculture Ministers earlier this week when I asked the Commission to address the significant overpricing of fertilisers in the EU brought about by the imposition of anti-dumping duties on imports. Commissioner Hogan acknowledged the desirability of bringing about lower prices, but indicated that, despite considerable efforts on his part both with other Member States and internally within the Commission, this is proving very difficult to achieve.
184. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proposals, he has put forward to the European Commission and-or at the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers in relation to the review of areas of natural constraint; the status of such proposals; the current status of the EU review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3610/17]
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. As part of this process, my officials have been in direct contact with the EU Commission and its science and knowledge service, the Joint Research Centre.
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. The regulatory requirement is for the new system to be implemented for payment under the 2018 scheme.
