Do as I say, not as I do.

In response to Deputy Danny Healy-Rae's points and questions, I reassure the House that farmers are, with the help of the State, on a journey to improve our biodiversity and ensure the food we produce is produced more sustainably into the future while continuing to produce the top-quality, safe and nutritious food that is trusted across the world. It is intrinsic to our economic prosperity, with exports worth €16 billion. Food Vision 2030, our ten-year strategy, looks to grow that to €21 billion to ensure the rural…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to discuss the important area of the sheep sector. It is something that has been raised on the floor of this House by colleagues from all sides, in fairness, as we all recognise the challenges faced by our sheep farmers this winter and into this spring. I have spoken previously about the significant contribution sheep farming makes to rural Ireland. There are more than 40,000 farmers involved in the sector, producing high-quality lamb which underpinned almost half a billion eu…

Will we just make them homeless next Christmas, just after Santa Claus.

I thank Deputy Dillon for raising what is a really important issue and something I have discussed with farmers throughout the country. Farmers have concerns around the new nitrates rules. These rules are in place to ensure there is an improvement in water quality, which is something all farmers have a commitment to and share that commitment. Understandably, farmers have concerns about their livelihood and are seeking reassurance. I look forward to continuing to work with farmers to ensure we can navigate the new ch…

Apologies from the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, for whom I am filling in today. Both I and the Government are fully committed to maintaining a viable sheep sector as an integral element of a balanced regional economy. Sheep farmers are very committed to producing a world-class, safe and sustainable product, and the Government recognises that. Market prices are a commercial matter between suppliers and buyers, and the Government has no role in determining commodity prices in the sheep sector. I recognise the pressu…

This is an important issue and I am delighted it is the first priority question. I will answer the Deputy's last point first. We are looking at every option but, pardon the pun, the bar to qualify for the BAR, the Brexit adjustment reserve, is very high. You have to prove a direct link to the impact from Brexit. The Deputy's earlier point was about markets. As Minister of State with responsibility for new market development, we have made huge strides in making sure we continue to gain more access to more markets ar…

The wool council is an industry-led approach. I understand it met before Christmas and is due to meet again soon. We will continue to work closely with it in its deliberations and on recommendations that come from there. Other work we have done in this area, including the support for early stage producer organisations, which will be introduced later this year, will strengthen the position of sheep farmers in the supply chain. As we both agree, this is ultimately about doing everything we can to strengthen the hand …

I thank Deputy Canney for raising what is an important point. The ANC scheme is one of the most important supports for farmers. It helps to support and sustain agriculture in all four corners of Ireland and in the constituency the Deputy represents, as I am sure he is well aware. Those benefits trickle down to farmers' local communities as well. As a Department, we work closely with farmers to ensure they maximise all available payments for their farm. It must be noted that CAP payments, including those made under …

I take on board the point and can only imagine how stressful it is to deal with individual farmers who missed out on this. On the Deputy's request for a review, I reassure him that we constantly review the system and how we do it. However, we have to work within the constraints of EU regulations as well. The ANC tick-box screen was displayed before the farmer could select the "no change" option. If the farmer did not tick the box to apply for ANC and then selected "no change", the ANC pop-up warning would have appe…

I take on board how serious this is for the farmers affected, and that is why we have so many safeguards in place between the extra pop-ups on the screen to point out to the farmer that they are potentially about to make a significant mistake. In the 2022 application process, my Department issued an information letter in April of that year. We also reviewed applications on an ongoing basis, and in the run-up to the 2022 closing date, we contacted farmers if it appeared they were eligible for ANC but did not apply. …

I thank Deputy Barry for raising this matter. In its report "Navigating Change" the seafood task force included in its recommendations the introduction of a voluntary permanent cessation scheme. A condition specified by the task force was that the premium paid to vessel owners under this scheme would include crew costs. These crew payments were based on a provision in the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund Regulation, Regulation 2021/1139, which outlined that fishers who have worked at sea on board a…

In regard to migrants, the scheme is, as I outlined, whether the crew member is a migrant or otherwise, fishers who worked at sea on board a vessel concerned by the permanent cessation, for at least 90 days per year in the last two calendar years. I will revert to the Deputy on the very specific nature of his questions. I do not have the response to that now. There are a number of terms and conditions. The background here is the seafood task force which comprised the stakeholders that came together to come up with …

The Deputy has made a couple of important points. I will go back to BIM, raise his points with it and ask for a response. There is no public record or register of fishermen in Ireland. Most are employed as share fishermen, that is, they are self-employed. In administering the scheme, BIM cannot check whether or how long any individual crewman has worked on a specific fishing vessel. However, having in their possession a valid safety card which is valid for five years is taken as evidence they are bona fide fisherme…

As the Deputy is aware, Ireland has never made any claims to, nor has Ireland ever recognised UK sovereignty claims over, Rockall. Accordingly, it has not recognised a 12 nautical mile territorial sea around it. This remains the position of the Government. The Government has been in contact with the relevant Scottish and UK authorities on Rockall over recent years and intensively since the beginning of 2021. Through this engagement, the Government is seeking to address the issues involved, reflecting the long-stand…

This is a matter that involves more than the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Department of Foreign Affairs has a key role to play. I will outline some of the interventions made by Government in recent times. As Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy Martin, last discussed the matter of Rockall with Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, at the end of last year. It was agreed to prioritise this matter and continue to work together to seek to resolve the outstanding issues. As Minister for Foreign A…

I have clearly outlined the approach of the Government to this. We have a long-standing Government policy which has not changed. Our policy is very clear regarding the position of Rockall and we continue to engage diplomatically. We have a key role to play in our engagement with our partners in Scotland. I have outlined the steps that have been taken and which we will continue to take. We have agreed with the Scottish representatives to prioritise this at all levels, from the Office of the Taoiseach to the Departme…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. When the question was tabled, the matter to which it relates was topical for all farmers. Thankfully, we have had good progress since then, allowing me to give the Deputy a positive response. ACRES, is the central agri-environment climate measure in Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023-2027. It is a flagship agri-environmental scheme that will pay farmers €1.5 billion over its lifetime. ACRES will play a significant role in driving environment…

The advance payment is one feature of our payments system that we have managed to handle very well until now. It is a key component that farmers are used to but, obviously, a lot of pressure is being put on our system with that. Among the applications that have been submitted, I am not sure off the top of my head what the advance payment amounts to but we are going to get it in during the fourth quarter of the year. Getting that payment in early is important because the basic premise of the payments relates to cost…

The advance payment will be paid in the fourth quarter and the balance will be paid in early 2024. One point that is of key concern to farmers is that the decision letters are scheduled to issue from 8 March, yesterday. A certain number of applications were found to be invalid and a decision letter, notifying applicants of any rejections, giving the reason for the rejection and providing a facility for the decision to be reviewed, will be posted to those applicants. Farmers will have a certain number of days from t…