I thank the Deputy for the question. The number of dairy herd reactor animals is 8,837 for 2019, 12,440 for 2020 and 8,402 up to 29 September of this year. The number of suckler herd reactor animals is 5,894 for 2019, 7,275 for 2020 and 4,684 up to 29 September of this year. The number of other herd reactor animals is 347 for 2019, 515 for 2020 and 344 to the end of September of this year. The overall total in respect of reactor numbers is 17,000 for 2019, 22,562 for 2020 and 14,901 up to 29 September of this year.…

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for his comments and suggestions. As the Deputy knows, when we are dealing with an infectious disease the strategy is not set in stone. The TB strategy I have put together is a living document which will be subject to amendment and refinement on an ongoing basis. The TB stakeholder forum and the three working groups are considering all issues as this matter evolves. They will consider issues such as the suggestions made by the Deputy. As part of my ongoing commitment to eradicating TB, I h…

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this very important issue and for his interest in it. I know it arises from his engagement with farmers in his constituency and the concern they have about the growing incidence of TB, certainly in 2020, and the burden this places on the affected farmers and the stress and financial strain associated with it. I assure the Deputy that we will continue to work on this matter. The Deputy's suggestions are being brought to the table by farm organisations, as part of the TB stakehol…

I thank Deputy Calleary for his question. Hill farming is a very important sector in the Deputy's constituency, as it is in mine. The sheep welfare scheme has been in place for the past while and was continued in 2020, 2021 and again for 2022. In addition, some of the key payments that are very important for hill farmers, such as the areas of natural constraint, ANC, payment, have been maintained for this year, as have environmental schemes. The Deputy's question relates to the next CAP programme which was announce…

That is really important and it is why I am engaging closely with farmers on putting together the CAP programme and those schemes. It is also why I visited Mayo with the Deputy last week and have been visiting every county. Indeed, I will be in Carlow this afternoon, and Kilkenny this evening, doing the very same thing. It is crucial that this funding gets to farm families, in this instance to support hill sheep farming. We will engage further on the structure and composition of the various schemes to ensure they w…

From memory, the number on the current GLAS programme is about 43,000 or 44,000. The 50,000 figure we have mentioned, therefore, will embrace all farmers. The objective will be to ensure that all farmers who want to participate in the scheme can do so. As for its composition, we will engage closely with farmer organisations to ensure the measures involved will provide options for all farmers to be able to engage.

I am very much aware of the important role on-farm carbon removals and carbon pool protection will play in meeting the sector's challenging climate change targets going forward. Teagasc, along with private sector agricultural consultants, is an essential component in providing best practice advice to the farming community on measures necessary for the increased sequestration and storage of atmospheric carbon through making better on-farm management decisions. It is important not only that the increased removal and …

As the Deputy will know, the funding from the carbon tax budget is very specific in that between now and the end of 2030, €1.5 billion will go directly to farmers. It is targeted specifically to get to farmers' pockets through the new agri-environmental scheme, which, as I outlined earlier, will deliver up to €10,000 for 20,000 participants and up to €7,000 for 30,000 participants. That is where the carbon tax is going. Since my appointment as Minister, I have been working with Teagasc and investing in how we can d…

First, in response to Deputy Naughten, the key basis and platform on which we can monetise carbon sequestration and pay farmers for it is by having the measurement tools in place. I am giving significant funding to Teagasc to develop that. With regard to carbon tax replacing direct Exchequer funding, that is certainly not the case. A concern that has been raised over the last year or so by farmers is that they did not want to see it replacing direct Exchequer funding. The massive package I delivered yesterday is an…

I apologise to Deputy McNamara as while I have some of the overall details, I do not have the full list by county, including County Clare, but it will be forwarded to the Deputy. The variation in the county breakdown of average entitlement values is centred on the country average of approximately €185. That is before greening, which obviously is in addition to that. The minimum value was seen in Leitrim in both years with an average entitlement value of €151 in 2019 and €152 in 2020. The national average is €185 an…

That was the situation with greening with the outgoing CAP. As the Deputy knows, the eco schemes are being introduced now as part of Pillar 1, accounting for a proposed 25% this time around, which will be totally disconnected from entitlement value and will be paid at a flat rate per hectare. While I do not have the full table here, the divergence might not be quite as large on a county basis as people might think, even though it is significant. That gap will be closing in the time ahead because we will be moving t…

The objective behind the eco scheme is to achieve an environmental result from it and it is about how the land is managed. There is a flat rate per hectare for that. It is not a straightforward direct payment; it is for how the farmer manages the land. Therefore, it is logical that the eco scheme aspect of it applies to all the land being managed. The proposal is that it will apply to all the land that is being managed in that way under the eco scheme the farmer chooses.

I do not have the figures for the tonnage of sprat, but I will see if I can get that. Sprat is a non-quota species. The Marine Institute would probably have figures and may be able to do a general assessment. As I said to Deputy Cairns earlier, I am awaiting the final judgment from the Court of Appeal at which point I will decide how I proceed. Obviously, I have outlined my commitment to the six-nautical-mile zone and the prioritisation for smaller vessels. When I get the judgment, I will need to reflect on how I w…

When I appealed this in the Court of Appeal I also applied for a stay on the previous decision removing the ban on the six-nautical-mile zones. The Court of Appeal allowed the stay at that stage. Maybe six weeks or so ago, the Court of Appeal removed that stay but I am still waiting on its final judgment. My commitment to this is clear and it has been very much informed in the latest period by engagement with the court and the court decisions. As it stands, I must wait for the final detail on the outcome of the app…

Deputy Connolly appreciates these are matters for the court and not for my office to decide. Only the court can give an indication in that regard. As a party to the appeal I cannot give such an indication. I applied to the court for a stay and this was granted, meaning those large vessels were blocked from coming into the six-nautical-mile zone while the court was adjudicating on its decision. I applied for a further stay a number of weeks ago and the court did not grant it. That is the legal position and I am awai…

The beef task force was established on foot of the beef sector agreement of 15 September 2019. Its remit as set out in its terms of reference was to monitor the implementation of the actions arising from that agreement. The task force was to meet at least quarterly from October 2019 for a period of one year after which the task force’s progress was to be reviewed. However, progress was delayed in 2020 due to Covid-19. As the Deputy may be aware, I requested the independent chair of the task force, Mr. Michael Dowli…

The task force did valuable work and it was important in bringing all the stakeholders together. The reports were very important, particularly the transparency reports. I am progressing the legislation for the food ombudsman and I can see it carrying out a role there, bringing that much-needed transparency into the food supply chain. I will reflect on this and it is important we have a structure for engagement over time, working with all stakeholders in the beef sector. I will reflect on how to step forward with th…

I disagree with Deputy McNamara in regard to being able to finish animals under 30 months off grass. That practice is done on many farms.

It is done with minimal concentrates and without concentrates. The Deputies have seen in their part of the country that many animals are sold in March and, for ten or 12 weeks, are put through a finishing programme that increases their weight and value. That is certainly a common practice and contributes to the overall value of the animal. To qualify for the PGI grass-fed status, animals will have to be fed on 95% grass diets throughout their life, which is an important aspect, and they will have to meet that crite…

I will set a reference in terms of how many will be paid for, but there will not be a limit on farmers increasing their numbers. This is a matter on which I have engaged with farmers throughout the country. My objective is to fully support the suckler farmer to ensure it remains an anchor of our beef sector, to support family farms, and the scheme I put in place will do that.