I thank the Deputy. The consultation process was done in a depth that was never done before. There has been immense opportunity for the Deputy's party and other parties to feed into that through the consultation process.

Sinn Féin did engage in the written consultation process. The Deputy would not get what was important and valuable in the process because he did not show up to any of the marts to listen to the farmers who were sharing their views. Some of those meetings lasted for three or four hours. The engagement and feedback were phenomenal. There were many different perspectives and varying views. That was important for framing the CAP and ensuring farmers were at the centre of it. It is ultimately the role of Government to p…

The real and detailed engagement with the plan does not happen through a to and fro on the floor of the Dáil. It happens by getting down and engaging directly with the farming community it impacts. That is the approach we have taken and that is why I believe this CAP strategic plan is balanced and will serve farming well for the years ahead.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. It is proposed as part of Ireland's draft CAP strategic plan, which is currently with the European Commission for approval, that there will be two approaches within the EU agri-environment climate measure, AECM. The first approach will be an environmental approach that offers a range of actions that individual farmers may undertake. The second approach will be a co-operative project approach, available to farmers in defined, high-priority geographical areas where…

Pardon me.

I apologise to Deputy Tóibín. The current situation around the cost and availability of farm inputs remains a significant concern. The impact the invasion of Ukraine is having on our farm families has been the number one priority the Department in recent months. It will continue to be prioritised. Fertiliser prices have increased significantly over the past 12 months and, unfortunately, there is no sign of an easing of prices in the short to medium term. Prices are being driven by a number of factors, including glo…

That is the objective behind the fodder support scheme I have introduced, which is paying €100 per hectare, up to a maximum of €1,000 for 10 ha. That is intended to support farmers with the cost challenges involved in growing silage and saving hay this year. We, as a Government, very much recognise the difficulties at this time. The cost of fertiliser, in particular, has impacted farmers. The additional cost pressures for contractors also have an impact. That €1,000 will be a real help to farm families in meeting t…

To take Deputy McNamara's points first, I want to ensure that farmers are getting an income from those schemes. It is important that the conditions of the schemes are met in order to make sure that the income is available. If we can ensure that farmers do what they normally do and grow grass as well as they normally do, using the land that they have, we will be in a good position next year. That is why I have come forward with a cost support to help farmers in making hay and silage. We all know that by next March o…

It is disappointing that we have not had action on it yet but I have been asking for it.

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this issue. It is proposed, as part of Ireland’s draft CAP strategic plan which is currently with the European Commission for approval, that there will be two approaches within the new agri-environment scheme. As I outlined earlier, there will be standard or general agri-environment climate measures, AECM, involving a range of actions that individual farmers may undertake and a co-operative project approach, whereby farmers in defined high priority geographical areas will be ab…

Co-operation and collaboration between farmers is needed to deliver the results we want and we now have a mechanism to enable that to happen. Over the last two or three decades, there has been a decline in biodiversity, not just in Ireland but across the world, and a biodiversity crisis has emerged. This is something we have to take really seriously and to reverse and this scheme is crucial to that. There are measures that can be taken, with farmers working together to support different bird species and habitats an…

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this point. If he provides further details and data on it, I will certainly have it considered and assessed. The Department has worked with the National Parks and Wildlife Service using the available evidence, intelligence and data to identify the areas where co-operative projects would work and deliver results and where collaboration is needed. In those areas where it is needed, we must ensure it is applied and we work together. I will certainly ensure that any additional info…

In the context of the Ukrainian crisis, significant implications are being seen across all sectors, particularly the agrifood sector. I assure the Deputy that the illegal invasion of Ukraine and its impacts on our farm families continue to be the number one priority for me and the Department since the invasion occurred. At farm level, the crisis has been impacting significantly on the price of fertiliser and animal feed, as we have discussed. Following a strong year for farm family income in 2021, Teagasc has forec…

I am aware that Deputy Griffin has advocated strongly on this issue. On the need to support farmers with costs, the €1,000 we have provided for fodder production costs over the summer will be important in that regard. We did not apply that payment to the dairy sector in general because, thankfully, we are seeing record prices for milk. Teagasc figures will show that the increase in the milk price is exceeding the increase in costs. As such, profits should be strong and the evidence show that activity at farm level …

There is a very important role for milk contracts, including fixed-price milk contracts going forward. In general, these contracts provide support for farmers given the fluctuations in markets. It is also important that there are safeguards in place for farmers around that. Lessons need to be learned from the experience in that regard in recent months. It is a matter for the co-operatives and the processors, working with Ornua, to assess. A number of the co-operatives have examined the matter and delivered increase…

As highlighted previously, the Climate Action Plan 2021 sets very ambitious and challenging targets for the agriculture and land use sector in reducing emissions as a key contribution to the overall economy-wide 51% target by 2030. My policy approach to achieving our climate targets in the agriculture, land use and forestry sectors centres on four different drivers of change. The first driver is through public supports and incentives including the new Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan for 2023-27, which con…

Water quality is essential. We have to take steps to improve it and the regulation of nitrogen and fertiliser is important in that regard. It also delivers in reducing emissions. There will be great potential over the years ahead to work towards using more clover in swards and multispecies swards, which reduces significantly the need for chemical fertiliser but is also beneficial from a food production and biodiversity point of view. Rewetting is a key part of the CAP plan, as is forestry. We will be stepping those…

I thank the Deputy for his question. As he knows this is a challenging time for the cost of inputs, particularly fertiliser. I have been engaged closely with the fertiliser suppliers to ensure security of supply. They have worked very hard to ensure that is the case. I also introduced the scheme to pay €1,000 on up to 10 ha to support farmers to cut hay and silage this year. As the Deputy knows, we cannot do everything but we are working hard to understand the challenges there. That scheme will be a really importan…

I am delighted to be joined by my colleagues, the Ministers of State, Senator Hackett and Deputy Heydon, over the course of this debate. I look forward to what I expect will be a constructive and engaging debate this afternoon. We are living, working and farming through a hugely historic and turbulent period for our great agricultural sector. Even before the illegal invasion of Ukraine and the impact that has had on our sector, our farmers, fishers and food producers have been proactively embracing a new reality of…

I thank all of the Deputies who contributed to this very constructive and useful debate. The Ministers of State, Deputy Heydon and Senator Hackett, and I are always very willing and open to engaging with Members in the Dáil, the Seanad and at the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. We are always available and very keen to ensure that there is enough time to discuss all of these issues. I am happy to come into the House every week, if needs be. Certainly, if there was any challenge around the organi…