Ciarán Cannon
Ceist:749. Deputy Ciarán Cannon 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. [58389/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAgriculture Schemes
Ceisteanna (749)
Freagraí scríofa
The person named was approved into the GLAS 2 scheme with a contract commencement date of 1st January 2016. Payments subsequently issued for scheme years 2016 – 2018.
An issue arose in relation to an increase in the eligible areas for some commonage claims which delayed processing of further payments.
All payments previously made to the applicant are now being reviewed to ensure that future payments are correct. Processing of the outstanding payments are at an advance stage and pending final validation checks will issue shortly.
Agriculture Schemes
Ceisteanna (750)
Michael McNamara
Ceist:750. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will expedite an outstanding payment for a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58437/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
This was a joint application for Basic Payment and one of the applicants on the joint herd number is deceased. In cases such as this, the Inheritance Enquiry Unit of my Department work with the next of kin, Executor or Legal Representatives of a deceased farmer to help facilitate payment of any outstanding monies and to provide advice and assistance regarding other issues arising, such as a change to the registration details of a herd number where it may be required, or the transfer of payment entitlements or schemes.
In this case, the Inheritance Enquiry Unit has received no correspondence or notification from the surviving joint herd owner, Executor of Legal Representative regarding the death of the late joint herd owner.
The Inheritance Enquiry Unit has now issued a letter to the Representatives of the deceased which outlines the procedure to facilitate payment of outstanding monies and other advice and assistance regarding schemes.
The Executor, Legal Personal Representative or Solicitor should respond to this correspondence or directly contact the Inheritance Enquiry Unit at Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Eir Building, Knockmay Road, Portlaoise, Co Laois, E-mail: inheritance@agriculture.gov.ie, Phone Number: 0761-064428, in order to progress all outstanding issues.
The Inheritance Enquiry Unit is available to offer every assistance in the matter.
Agriculture Schemes
Ceisteanna (751)
Brendan Griffin
Ceist:751. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a 2021 basic payment will issue to a farmer (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58466/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The closing date for the receipt of the 2021 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) applications was 17th May 2021. An application for participation in the 2021 Basic payment Scheme (BPS) was received from the person named on 9th July 2021.
Applications received on or after 12th June 2021 are subject to a 100% penalty. The above named person sought a review of this penalty. Following a review of the documentation provided by the applicant, Force Majeure was applied in this case. My Department wrote to the applicant in October advising of this.
The processing of the application is now underway and any queries identified will be communicated to the applicant as soon as they are available. Any payments due will issue as soon as this process is complete.
Customs and Excise
Ceisteanna (752)
Seán Haughey
Ceist:752. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason importation of craft needlework and fabrics from Britain by Irish sewing companies using the direct duty paid system is being delayed by departmental personnel who are undertaking clearance checks; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties these delays are causing Irish businesses; if he will intervene to resolve this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58474/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Certain types of commodities require so called sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks when being imported into the European Union. These checks are in addition to customs controls and apply to commodities coming from all non-EU countries, including GB. The commodities affected include animal products, regulated plant products and certain foods of non-animal origin. Rules relating to SPS checks are decided at EU level, not at the level of the Member State.
The requirement for SPS checks is linked to the so-called combined nomenclature or CN code, entered on the customs declaration. The presence of certain codes on the customs declaration will trigger the requirement for SPS checks. Customs declarations for commodities requiring SPS checks cannot be cleared until the SPS checks have been carried out.
Feathers and wool are products that come from animals. The entry of a CN code related to feathers and wool, on a customs declaration, will trigger a requirement for SPS controls.
Clearance of such consignments then depends on the supply of certain documentation to Department staff at the point of entry. In the event there are delays in the supply of the documentation required, there will be consequential delays in the consignment being released from the point of entry.
Business operators who are experiencing delays in having their products released, because they have triggered a requirement for SPS controls, should contact Department staff at the border control post at the point of entry.
Departmental Legal Cases
Ceisteanna (753)
Carol Nolan
Ceist:753. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if legal action is being pursued against his Department by the European Commission following failure to comply with reporting or other obligations under a European Union directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58504/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I can confirm that there are no legal proceedings currently pending against my Department in the European Court by the European Commission that relate to a failure to comply with reporting or other obligations imposed on the State through European Union legislation.
Agriculture Industry
Ceisteanna (754)
Carol Nolan
Ceist:754. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will clarify the measures his Department has in place to offset a significant lack of fodder availability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58603/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As the Deputy may be aware, Teagasc the authority responsible for research and development, training and advisory services in the agri-food sector in Ireland, carried out a fodder survey and published the results recently.
Teagasc advisers completed almost 650 winter fodder budgets for dry-stock and dairy farmers nationwide as part of this survey. These fodder budgets were carried out as part of a new initiative to promote better feed security planning on livestock farms.
While I know and appreciate that their might anomalies to this but the survey concluded that the national picture shows drystock farms reporting a projected surplus of approximately 29%, while dairy farms are similarly well placed at approximately an 18% overall surplus. The survey shows that all regions are in a good position for feed stocks. Again. I appreciate that there could be anomalies to this survey.
2021 has been a good grass growing year and there were periods of good weather allowing excellent quality fodder to be made. Farmers have also had the benefit of an extended grazing period this autumn/early winter which has the effect of reducing fodder demand. I think the Deputy will agree that, in particular, the back end proved to be excellent grazing conditions in most parts of the country.
Taking all of this into account, I encourage farmers to complete their own fodder budgets before winter sets in to ensure that they have enough fodder and to contact their local adviser for any help they need.
Based on the results of Teagasc's fodder survey, and as things stand, I do not see the need for my Department to intervene at this time given that the position regarding the availability of fodder is very healthy. However, we will continue to closely monitor the position throughout the winter period.
Fisheries Protection
Ceisteanna (755)
Mairéad Farrell
Ceist:755. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions he can take or is examining to ensure the sustainability of all fish stocks in waters around Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58692/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) provides the framework for the long-term conservation and sustainability of fish stocks around our shores and is designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of fishing in Ireland and throughout EU waters. The CFP specifically calls for the progressive restoration and maintenance of populations of fish stocks above biomass levels capable of producing Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY). This will lead to healthy fish stocks, higher quotas for both Irish and EU fishers and to more sustainable fishing patterns. Fisheries are managed on the basis of a population of a species living in a defined geographical area with similar biological parameters (e.g. growth, size at maturity, fecundity) and a shared mortality rate. The stocks managed by the EU TAC and quota regime, which establishes outtake levels on an annual basis, are distributed across a large geographical area generally off the west, south west and often the south east of Ireland.
In 2021, 47% of the stocks of interest to Ireland were fished at or below MSY - this increased from 34% in 2013. In 2009, at EU level only 5 stocks were fished at MSY. This shows that the many years of intensive, industry-led conservation measures within the framework of the CFP are paying off.
The process of negotiating and agreeing TACs for 2022 involves EU negotiations with the UK in respect of shared stocks and covers most of the stocks of importance to Ireland other than those determined at Coastal States negotiations including mackerel and blue whiting. These negotiations commenced on 11 November and are ongoing. Ireland is inputting its position and issues into the EU’s position and is actively engaged in these negotiations to ensure that matters of importance to Ireland, such as the Celtic Sea mixed fishery, are understood and pursued.
Earlier this month, I launched a public consultation on the Commission’s proposal for 2022, along with the scientific advice on fish stocks from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), as part of my annual Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA). The SIA draws its conclusions from a consultation process with all major stakeholders, a public consultation and expert contributions from the Marine Institute (MI) and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM). The objective of the SIA is to look at the overall impacts the proposals for quotas could have on the sustainability of the fishing sector from a biological, economic and social perspective. I will present the SIA to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine in early December.
The Programme for Government sets down an ambitious programme of actions that promote a sustainable seafood industry and we are committed to working to continue to build on the progress that has been made to secure a sustainable future for our fishing industry and the coastal communities which depend upon it.
Brexit Supports
Ceisteanna (756)
Michael Creed
Ceist:756. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of take-up of the Brexit tie-up scheme in the fisheries sector; the financial support that will be available to domestic retailers who will be without supply in many instances due to the tie-up; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58701/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I launched a Brexit Temporary Fleet Tie-up Scheme in September 2021 on foot of the recommendation for such a scheme in the Report of the Seafood Sector Task Force - Navigating Change (October 2021). The Scheme was established as a targeted measure for certain segments of the fishing fleet to mitigate the loss of income in 2021 arising from the significant quota reductions under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The scheme is administered by Bord Iascaigh Mhara and is proposed for funding under the EU Brexit Adjustment Reserve.
As recommended by the Task Force, the scheme is open to whitefish vessels in the Polyvalent and Beam Trawl segments of the fishing fleet and provides aid to vessels opting to tie-up for a calendar month during the October to December period, thereby freeing up quota for vessels that remain fishing. Vessels excluded by the UK from the Rockall squid fishery are eligible for an additional month of tie-up.
BIM has confirmed to me that a total of 219 applications have been made for tie-up in either October, November or December 2021. BIM advises that the number of number of successful applicants can be expected to be lower, as eligibility checks remain ongoing at this point.
With respect to domestic seafood retailers, I understand that representatives of the fishing sector on the Task Force undertook to carefully manage supply during the period of the scheme. The report of the Task Force made no specific recommendations for financial supports to seafood retailers.
Animal Diseases
Ceisteanna (757)
Matt Carthy
Ceist:757. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures his Department has in place to identify and eradicate Johne’s disease in cattle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58741/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Johne’s disease is present in Ireland. Recent research conducted in Ireland would suggest that just over a quarter of herds contain at least one positive animal. A voluntary disease control programme, the Irish Johne’s Control Programme (IJCP), is available for all herds to participate.
The programme is coordinated and administered by Animal Health Ireland on behalf of stakeholders, with shared funding between industry and government. The programme supports disease prevention and containment practices to control the spread of Johne’s disease in the country.
All Irish dairy herds are encouraged to register with the IJCP. The IJCP is also available to beef herds.
Animal Diseases
Ceisteanna (758)
Matt Carthy
Ceist:758. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of instances of Johne’s disease within the State for the years 2017 to date by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58742/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
A voluntary national Johne’s disease control programme is coordinated and managed by Animal Health Ireland on behalf of stakeholders.
My Department does not capture national disease incidence figures. A review of cattle carcases submitted to the Department's laboratory service in 2017 identified that nine carcases - 1.6% of overall submission - were diagnosed with Johne's disease.
Animal Diseases
Ceisteanna (759)
Matt Carthy
Ceist:759. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the regulatory approach to control or eradication of Johne’s disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58743/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Johne’s Disease is listed in Part B of the S.I. No. 130/2016 - Notification and Control of Diseases affecting Terrestrial Animals (No. 2) Regulations 2016. As such, Johne’s Disease control is not subject to compulsory regulation. The Department provides support to the voluntary Irish Johne’s Control programme (IJCP) which is coordinated and managed by Animal Health Ireland on behalf of stakeholders and which is available to all herds.
Details of the programme are set out on the AHI website
animalhealthireland.ie/programmes/johnes-disease/irish-johnes-control-programme-ijcp/
Animal Diseases
Ceisteanna (760)
Matt Carthy
Ceist:760. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his position on the vaccination of livestock against Johne’s disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58744/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Johne’s Disease is caused by infection with Mycobacterium avian subspecies paratuberculosis. Vaccination against Mycobacterium aviam subspecies paratuberculosis is not available in Ireland. The use of vaccination for Johne’s Disease would interfere with the results of tests under the National Tuberculosis Eradication programme.
Thus, there are no plans to licence a Johne’s Disease vaccine currently.
Animal Diseases
Ceisteanna (761)
Matt Carthy
Ceist:761. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the compensation that is available to farmers who lose livestock arising from Johne’s disease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58745/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Department provides financial support to the voluntary national Johne's Disease control programme, which is open to all farmers.
This does not extend to financial support to remove positive animals; there are no current plans to put such support in place.
Forestry Sector
Ceisteanna (762)
Verona Murphy
Ceist:762. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proposals to integrate organic afforestation into the organic measures in the next CAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58747/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Consideration is currently being given to the organic measures that will be supported under the new CAP Strategic Plan.
It is my intention to ensure that any organic measures contained in the next CAP will address such deficits in order to meet market demand and ensure sustainable development. I also want to build on the success to date and achieve our commitment to align Ireland’s organic land area with that of the current EU average of approximately 7.5% over the lifetime of this Government.
Due to the long-term nature of forestry, it is not proposed to include forest planting measures in the new CAP measures, but a separate Forestry Programme which will be the successor of the current Forestry Programme 2014-2020 (extended to end 2022). We remain committed to integration between the new Forest Strategy and the next CSP to ensure that measures in both will complement each other and lead to increased levels of tree planting.
Agriculture Industry
Ceisteanna (763)
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Ceist:763. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the system for the manual submission of documentation currently in place for farmers who are receiving pig slurry is to be extended beyond the 31 December 2021 deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58843/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under the Nitrates Regulations (S.I. 605 of 2017) farmers are obliged to farm within the limit of 170kg of nitrogen per hectare (or 250kgs/N/ha for those who hold an approved derogation). One of the measures farmers can take to reduce nitrogen levels is to export slurry to another holding.
The deadline for submission of all livestock manure movements is the 31st December 2021 (the deadline was 31st October 2021 for Nitrates Derogation applicants). Movements should be declared on the Department's on-line system.
Currently, due to ongoing IT work, paper Record 3 Forms are being accepted in the case of movements of pig slurry. The final date for submission of these is also 31st December.
It is hoped that pig manure movements will be available on the on-line system shortly. Notification will issue as soon as it becomes available. There is a user manual and a short video demonstrating how to use the system is now available on the Department’s website here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/c9563-rural-environment-sustainability-nitrates/#nitrates-records
Officials in Nitrates Section are available to assist any farmers or advisors who have queries.
Forestry Sector
Ceisteanna (764, 765)
Matt Carthy
Ceist:764. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the hectarage of Coillte forestry within the State; the percentage of which is native broadleaf; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58900/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraMatt Carthy
Ceist:765. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the hectarage of forestry within the State; the percentage of which is native broadleaf by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58901/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 764 and 765 together.
Ireland's National Forests Inventory (NFI) in 2017 records the area of forest in Ireland as 770,020ha or 11% of the land area. Conifer species are the dominant forest type and make up 71.2% of all forests. Broadleaved forests represent 28.8%. The table below lists the area and percentage of forest cover per county based on estimates from the national forest inventory. The inventory also provides estimates of the percentage of broadleaves which includes all native species.
|
County |
Forest Area (ha) |
Percent Forest Cover within County (%) |
Broadleaves %Stocked Forest Area* |
|
Carlow |
8,403 |
9.4 |
30.1 |
|
Cavan |
18,032 |
9.3 |
40.6 |
|
Clare |
55,106 |
17.2 |
29.1 |
|
Cork |
90,020 |
12.1 |
26.6 |
|
Donegal |
55,534 |
11.4 |
18.0 |
|
Dublin |
6,011 |
6.5 |
40.1 |
|
Galway |
60,605 |
9.9 |
23.2 |
|
Kerry |
57,540 |
12.1 |
29.9 |
|
Kildare |
10,396 |
6.1 |
65.3 |
|
Kilkenny |
19,825 |
9.6 |
30.3 |
|
Laois |
26,462 |
15.4 |
26.0 |
|
Leitrim |
30,061 |
18.9 |
30.0 |
|
Limerick |
27,933 |
10.4 |
17.1 |
|
Longford |
9,160 |
8.4 |
24.7 |
|
Louth |
2,428 |
2.9 |
40.0 |
|
Mayo |
51,325 |
9.2 |
12.6 |
|
Meath |
13,326 |
5.7 |
71.9 |
|
Monaghan |
5,997 |
4.6 |
44.8 |
|
Offaly |
29,332 |
14.7 |
54.1 |
|
Roscommon |
28,311 |
11.1 |
26.0 |
|
Sligo |
20,980 |
11.4 |
23.5 |
|
Tipperary |
50,241 |
11.8 |
27.6 |
|
Waterford |
26,949 |
14.7 |
32.8 |
|
Westmeath |
15,163 |
8.2 |
51.9 |
|
Wexford |
14,620 |
6.2 |
27.9 |
|
Wicklow |
36,262 |
17.9 |
28.2 |
|
Total |
770,020 |
The total forest area divided between public and private forests is captured in the National Forest Inventory. The total forest area recorded for the public forest is 391,000 ha, which includes all the Coillte forests. The NFI records that the public forests consists of 79.6% conifers and 20.4% broadleaves.
Question No. 765 answered with Question No. 764.
Agriculture Schemes
Ceisteanna (766)
Seán Sherlock
Ceist:766. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he will take to ensure that the appropriate payments such as area aid, BPS, GLAS and other agri-payments are immediately paid out to farmers (details supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58913/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
EU Regulations governing the administration of Basic Payment/Areas of Natural Constraint Schemes/GLAS require that full and comprehensive administrative checks, including in some cases remote sensing (e.g. satellite inspections), are completed before any payments issue. The 2021 application of the persons named was selected for a remote sensing eligibility inspection.
The application is currently being processed. The inspection results, along with any queries identified will be communicated to the applicants as soon as they are available. Any payments due to the applicant will issue as soon as this process is complete.
Agriculture Schemes
Ceisteanna (767, 768, 769)
Colm Burke
Ceist:767. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to engage with the land mobility service to incentivise young and potential farmers and new entrants to utilise the service in order to deliver generational renewal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58921/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraColm Burke
Ceist:768. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has plans to work with farming organisations to help spread awareness of the land mobility service which has been greatly affected in terms of awareness events during the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58922/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraColm Burke
Ceist:769. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to his Department providing funding to the land mobility service in order that it can acquire the adequate resources needed to achieve optimum delivery for the desired service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58923/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 767 to 769, inclusive, together.
The challenge of generational renewal is widely recognised both at national and EU level with the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) citing it as one of its nine key objectives.
Food Vision 2030, the new strategy for the agri-food sector (gov.ie - Food Vision 2030 – A World Leader in Sustainable Food Systems) also highlights the challenge of generational renewal and proposes a number of actions to address this issue including the promotion of land mobility and succession planning.
We all agree that facilitating generational renewal is critical to ensure a bright future for the agri-food sector.
The Land Mobility Service (LMS) has proven itself important in the delivery of land mobility and access to land through assisting collaborative arrangements.
It has been supported by my Department over the last number of years with the Department providing funding of €27,000 between 2014 and 2016, and €50,000 per annum for the five years 2017 to 2021. To the end of 2019, over 520 arrangements covering approximately 19,000 hectares had been facilitated. In recognition of this, my Department is engaged with the Land Mobility Service on potential future support and I have just announced a 100% increase in the funding for next year to €100,000.
The Deputy may be aware that the Land Mobility Service also receives funding from the wider sector and a contribution from land-owners and farmers.
Notwithstanding the impact of COVID-19, “Inquiries, Engagements and Arrangements” continued to grow in 2020 with the cumulative figure in excess of 600 covering over 22,000 hectares, with a final Report on Outputs for 2021 due to be finalised shortly by LMS.
On generational renewal generally, under the current CAP the Young Farmers Scheme (with payments of €110m benefitting over 8,000 farmers each year) and the National Reserve (with €35 million allocated since 2015) provide financial support to young farmers during the crucial early years of setting up a farm enterprise.
Additionally, under the TAMS II Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme, young farmers can avail of a 60% grant rate as compared to the standard rate of 40% (over €133m paid to over 5,000 farmers). There are additional supports at national level, with strong taxation measures assisting land mobility and facilitating succession (worth some €200 million per annum), access to finance measures and a range of educational, training and advisory services.
Specifically Long-Term Leasing Income Tax Relief has been an important driver of land mobility by providing access to land and security of tenure for younger farmers and a route to retirement for older farmers. Almost 11,000 beneficiaries were supported under this measure in 2018, with a cost of €27.2 million.
Supporting young farmers, access to land and generational renewal are priorities for me, and I will continue to actively engage on these issues, including with the Land Mobility Service, farm organisations and other stakeholders.
Question No. 768 answered with Question No. 767.
Question No. 769 answered with Question No. 767.
Agriculture Schemes
Ceisteanna (770)
Brendan Griffin
Ceist:770. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if there are plans to introduce a new early retirement scheme for farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58974/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The challenge of generational renewal is widely recognised at national and EU level, with the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) citing it as one of its nine key objectives.
I believe that supporting young farmers and facilitating generational renewal is critical to ensure a bright future for the agri-food sector. Obviously this also concerns older farmers and while there are a number of supports currently available under the CAP specifically for young farmers, these are complemented by a suite of national taxation measures that assist both younger and older farmers.
In recent years, the priority of my Department has shifted to the encouragement of generational change for farmers by assisting the development of our young farmers. There are a range of supports in place including specific agri-taxation measures to incentivise this generational change. The agri-taxation measures specifically aimed at young farmers include 100% stock relief on income tax for certain young trained farmers and stamp duty exemption on transfers of land to young trained farmers.
Under the current Rural Development Programme, there is also an enhanced capital investment Scheme for young trained farmers under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes. This Scheme provides them with grant aid at a rate of 60% of the cost of the investment, compared to the standard grant rate of 40%, and I believe it is an important support and encouragement to young farmers starting in agriculture for the first time.
Generational renewal continues to be a priority of mine and it will form an important part of the CAP post-2020.
Agriculture Schemes
Ceisteanna (771)
Gary Gannon
Ceist:771. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide a list of Irish recipients of European Union farm subsidies, including organisation names and amounts received listed in descending order by value for the period 2018 to 2021, in tabular form. [59103/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The EU Regulation 1306/2013, and in particular Articles 111 – 114, requires that Member States ensure the annual ex-post publication of all beneficiaries of CAP (Common Agriculture Policy) funding. In accordance with legislation, the information shall remain available on a single website for two years from the date of its initial publication.
EU Regulation No 908/2014 states that this information shall be published by 31st May each year for the preceding financial year and the information specific to Irish recipients were published on the Department’s website on Monday 31st May 2021. The information published can be located via the following link: www.gov.ie/en/service/common-agricultural-policy-beneficiary-data/
In accordance with the legislation, the information published relates to the years 2019 and 2020 only. The information regarding 2018 is no longer provided and information in relation to payments made in 2021 will be available on 31st May 2022.
The publication contains the following data:
- forename & surname or legal name of entity, as appropriate
- municipality where the beneficiary is resident
- payment amount by measure, and
- nature and description of the measure
It is possible to search/list beneficiaries under the criteria above. However, it should be noted that Member States are not required to publish beneficiary data where payments are less than €1,250 - these cases are identified by a code.
In addition, not all recipients are farmers as the CAP funds other programmes including LEADER and schemes open to other bodies including food companies.