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

The Deputy raised a number of points but the critical one, which I think many in the agricultural community would acknowledge, is the challenge facing the beef sector, on which we had a construction debate in the Dáil Chamber last week. We are directing the resources available to the State in a targeted way to farmers to try to shore up falling incomes. As the Deputy will be aware, unfortunately or otherwise, the reality is that there is nothing I can do in respect of meat factories and the prices they pay. What I can do is ensure that whatever resources I have are focused in the most effective way to the sector. The keys areas of action are increasing payments under areas of natural constraint, ANC, introducing schemes such as the beef environmental programme and driving the adoption and implementation of producer organisations.

The Deputy asked where we are at with regard to the beef environmental efficiency pilot. There were 18,536 applicants, covering almost 450,000 weanlings. There is a significant level of interest in this scheme. As the Deputy will be aware, the intention in respect of the scheme is for individual farmers who have applied for the scheme to have their own scales registered, in respect of which there is a facility to do this online on the Department's website, or for them to be able to avail of a bank of weighing scales that will be delivered for the purposes of the scheme through a series of outlets around the country. Farmers will be able to borrow these scales to weigh their cattle and then return them. This is how the programme will operate. The intention is to deliver the scheme as efficiently as possible with the least amount of bureaucracy or administrative burden and to target whatever scarce resources are available into the pockets of participating farmers. To the best of my recollection, the cost of providing the scales is approximately € 1 million. The remainder of the money will go directly to farmers who are applicants.

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