Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----Glenisk, which has a fantastic profile for its range of products. There is almost an insatiable demand for organic products on the dairy side and on the tillage side as well, but that is our commitment in terms of organics.

The Deputy also raised a point about protein crops. Under the Common Agricultural Policy, we currently provide approximately €3 million for protein crops. I believe we grow approximately 14,000 ha mostly beans. The Deputy might have seen Commissioner Hogan make some comments recently about Europe's dependency on imported protein crops. A substantial volume of that is genetically modified, GM, protein crops. Of the protein crops we import, and off the top of my head I believe we import about 2 million tonnes of protein for animal feed, most of it is GM. There is a substantial opportunity for import substitution, both here and in the European Union. The Commission is looking at publishing a paper on plant proteins by the end of 2018 and I hope that will lead to a new initiative from the Commission, perhaps via the CAP, and reduce our exposure to both imported and GM proteins, which would be a significant step in the right direction.

On the issue of GLAS payments, there are marginally less than 50,000 applicants, and 97% or 98% of those have been paid. There are 2,900 cases remaining and, of those, 1,600 are a matter for the participant to resolve. They relate to issues ranging from rare breed forms, low emissions slurry spreading forms, basic payment scheme, BPS, errors needing clarification, nutrient management plans and a range of other issues that are within the scope of the applicant to resolve before the Department can process them. The others are issues the Department is working through.

We are dealing with the final core of the scheme. One should bear in mind that 97% to 98% of applicants have already been paid. The last ones involve difficult circumstances such as dual claims and other such issues. The majority of the outstanding cases are ones which the applicant must resolve. It is highly likely as well that we will see a number of applications where the applicant is no longer actively involved in the scheme and has walked away from it without notifying the Department. We are dealing with that core now and trying to bring it to a conclusion. We are paying applicants as they are cleared. There is no undue delay.