Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is a follow-up question which I hope the Minister will address when replying to the other questions. It concerns the beef data and genomics programme. Will the Minister elaborate in a little more detail? He indicated that €300 million has been allocated to the programme and that it is his intention to ensure it is spent on the programme during the course of the CAP. The programme involves a five-year commitment on behalf of farmers. As I indicated, the budget last year, which was the first year, was €52 million but only €35 million was spent. Therefore, there was an underspend of €17 million. The allocation for this year is €52 million. That is predicated, according to the Minister's figures, on 27,000 farmers having signed up to it. In his contribution, the Minister indicated that 25,000 farmers have signed up. On the basis that there are 2,000 fewer farmers, for whom the Minister had set funding aside to pay, I expect there will be an underspend this year. We had an underspend last year and a likely underspend this year. The CAP runs up to 2020. The commitment for farmers who sign up to the programme is five years. For anybody signing up now, the five years would run beyond 2020. If the Minister says he will spend that €300 million during the CAP programme on this particular scheme, I do not see how he can do that. Therefore, I cannot see why he is talking about reopening the scheme to further entrants at some stage and that he is keeping it under review. I thought he would have been reopening it now. I do not see how he can spend the full €300 million on the scheme by the end of 2020. Will the Minister elaborate on how he sees himself meeting that commitment?