Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister could make the choice to put €15 million of this year's current budget underspend into the World Food Programme for next year and top that up next year with €5 million out of the €20 million which has been allocated in budget 2017 to put towards that programme next year anyway. He could use the €5 million freed up to put a crisis fund in place this autumn for tillage farmers, which is more than Teagasc and the farming organisations estimate is required to support those in the tillage sector who have lost crops. That choice is open to the Minister from a funding point of view because of this Supplementary Estimate and underspending in the current budget this year. However, the Minister is making the choice not to do that.