We absolutely have to do so. We have an opportunity in Origin Green, and we have put together a package which reflects what we do in Ireland and tells that story across the world. The fact we are pasture- and grass-based makes us unique compared with many other food-producing nations. It also has great advantages in animal welfare as well as the fact it is a very sustainable way of producing livestock and of turning grass into either beef, lamb or dairy products. We have to continue to do way more and to continue t…

I thank Deputy Smith for his question. On the dribble bar, that is something I will also be considering in the mix on the emissions aspect, but also there is the usability of it. Taking that into account is something I will be considering in the round. On the timelines, as the Deputy will know, we have a budget of €370 million over the period from this year to 2027. Tranche 1 of TAMS 3 closed on 30 June 2023, with 8,241 applications received. Overall, the scheme has proved very popular, with an unprecedented level …

The rising costs have been a genuine issue over recent years. There have been adjustments at different points to change the reference costs for TAMS. Thankfully, over the past few months, we have seen an easing of inflation affecting construction, machinery and materials. There were unprecedented increases in the year to 18 months before that. We continue to monitor this and adjust on a phased basis as we go forward from tranche to tranche. The Deputy raised the issue of reclaimable VAT for mobile equipment. That i…

There is a young farmer category. Under this, a young farmer will get a grant rate of 60% as opposed to 40%, which is the standard. Also, for the first time ever, I have included a female farmer category, whereby a female farmer can get a grant rate of 60%. We need to send out a definite message across the sector that we want to see women taking their rightful place as the heads of farms. The measure is a deliberate one to encourage and facilitate this. On the prioritisation, we operated a system over the past coup…

I have been monitoring this very closely over the past week and a half. I have been quite concerned about it and have been making sure my team has been engaging to try to facilitate a resolution. My Department operates a fallen animal scheme in which the Exchequer provides financial support to assist farmers with the disposal of animals that die on farm. This support is channelled through the animal collectors and rendering industry to subsidise the cost of rendering. I am very aware of the challenge whereby render…

I accept it is not ideal and that the further you are from the North, the longer the journey and the less practical the arrangement. However, it is an option and an outlet. In the absence of the three rendering plants in the Republic accepting carcases, I have removed the rules that restricted the distance you can go with a fallen animal to 125 km. Now, no matter what part of the country you are in, you can go to the North. That outlet is available, although it is not nearly as practical as the previous one. Thankf…

The Department's contribution towards the rendering of animals and the very high percentage we pay the animal collectors for covering the rendering costs apply to rendering costs in the North as well. Obviously, it does not address transport. There has been an accumulation of more animals in some cases so the option is there for larger loads to go to the North but we are in an emergency and I hope to see this issue resolved in the near future. The Deputy is right. I have dug many a hole to bury large animals in the…

I am confident that the outlook for the Irish agrifood industries remains very positive. Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the sustainable development of the agrifood sector over the decade ahead, includes several actions to develop overseas market opportunities and envisages a sustainable increase in the value of Irish agrifood exports to €21 billion by 2030 driven by value rather than volume. This will, of course, benefit both our primary producers and our agrifood industry. The Government is playing its …

Volume levels are quite stable. We have seen a significant increase in value from 2021 to 2022. We set a record for agrifood exports last year, which were worth €19 billion, which from memory was up from €16 billion the year before so it was a significant increase. We had inflation across different categories and some of that will be factored in, but we were also building value during this time. That was against the backdrop of largely stable volume across beef, dairy, all our key main projects and seafood. We saw …

We will be continuing that; we have to. As a country that is so lucky given its place on the globe and the fact that the jet stream comes all the way up and keeps our climate very mild and gives us great growing conditions and great capacity to be productive regarding food, we must appreciate that gift and produce the food we need because many other parts of the world do not have the gift and capacity we have but they need that food. The world population is increasing. It will reach close to 10 billion by 2050. It …

I am very closely considering this issue. I met a couple of weeks ago or so with a number of inshore fishers and representatives of all the producer organisations, POs, which have been established over the past three years. We previously did not have any and now we have two representing the inshore sector, which is really important. They are, however, under a lot of pressure at the moment. I have worked to try to support them as significantly as possible over the past two or three years. Over the past two years, we…

I am looking at what is possible here. The inshore sector depends primarily on non-quota species - for example, our lobster and our crab. There are no quotas restricting how much of that can be fished. The fishermen themselves, working with Bord Iascaigh Mhara, have put in place management tools to try to make sure we have a sustainable fishery there into the future. We have seen the opening of the spurdog fishery, which was traditionally a really important fishery. It was a big step forward at last year's fisherie…

I acknowledge that and I am looking at it very closely. In the run-up to Christmas, particularly during what would normally be a peak time, a very difficult position is facing our inshore sector. It is related to the wider international markets and the cost-of-living crisis internationally. We have seen a fall in crab and lobster prices and in demand as a result of that, and that is having a real impact. Getting the inshore sector organised has been really important and is something I have sought to push over the p…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 22 together. The ICBF is the body that is approved in Ireland in accordance with the relevant EU legislation to conduct testing, genetic evaluation and publication of breeding values for dairy and beef cattle. It has recently updated the beef breeding indices. This was the first major update of the beef breeding indices since 2015 and it is based mainly on changing economic drivers such as feed costs and beef prices. A modest adjustment also took place based on earlier slaugh…

I do not see any impact on factories here. The animals are still the animals. Their breeding potential and capacity to be productive going forward is the key here. That is why it is important that evidence continues to be gathered about the performance of animals so that, going forward, we are breeding the highest performing animals, and that continues to improve profitability. Obviously as you get more data and research, it is important to adjust the ratings so the profitability index shows which are going to be t…

I welcome that the ICBF is engaging with cattle breeders. The board of the ICBF is made up of farmers and farm representatives. It has an important task. Whenever it makes adjustments like this, they will not be easy. In the past, before we had the ICBF star ratings, one had to learn from experience, and one did not really know and had to figure out year to year, from hard learning, what was a good breed or what was not. The idea now is that with the star ratings and gathering evidence, people now have more certain…

As Deputy Canney knows, any time a scheme is announced there have to be terms and conditions for it. There can be challenges around the edges in regard to that. If the Deputy has information on particular cases then I ask him to forward them to me and I will have them considered. We have to have terms and conditions for what is eligible and what is not. It was generally a wet year but in some parts around the Shannon Callows there was significant flooding, which really impacted the capacity of farmers to make a liv…

What about confidence in the Garda?

I thank Members for facilitating this debate. Ensuring that the horse and greyhound racing industries achieve their maximum potential, and in so doing, contribute to economic and social development over a wide geographic distribution of our country, is an important aspect of Government policy. The valuable contribution to a balanced regional economy made by both the horse and greyhound industries is well recognised. It is estimated that the thoroughbred industry has an annual economic impact of €2.46 billion, with …

I thank Members for their contributions. Senator Daly mentioned the Tipperary all-weather racetrack, on which Horse Racing Ireland continues to engage in the planning process. We have had engagements with it about the capital plans and the funding aspect. I believe the planning matters are with An Bord Pleanála and are awaited. The Department is engaging with it about the business case for the track too, which will continue. Likewise, there is no doubt that we need to replace the Irish Equine Centre with a new cent…