Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for taking the time to come to the committee to present on this matter. There is much concern in the agricultural community regarding what will happen post 2020 given there will be a minimum one-year delay in regard to the new seven-year CAP programme being put in place. Central to this is how the transitionary period will impact on the funding farmers receive, which forms a critical part of the average family farm income. Following the Minister's negotiations and engagements at European level, what will be the likely outcome with regard to payments during the transitionary period, in particular payments under the rural development programme, RDP, which pose a particular problem because many of them are made at a specific time? For example, payments under the GLAS scheme form a significant part of farm income. Under the five-year programme, participants in GLAS 1 are due to start exiting that scheme in 2020 and they will also get their final payment in 2020. In regard to 2021, it is essential that in regard to schemes such as GLAS, areas of natural constraint, ANC, the beef data genomics programme, BDGP, the sheep welfare programme, etc., what is currently provided in annual payments continues to be paid during the transitionary period. If these payments are allowed to lapse and the RDP is not properly funded this would have a very significant impact on farm income. I ask the Minister to clarify the position with regard to the aforementioned schemes and payments and what he, as Minister, and the Department are seeking to achieve in the programme during the transitionary period.

I support the Minister's efforts in regard to the wider budgetary objective of ensuring that the proposed cuts for the next seven-year programme are reversed and that the budget is, at least, maintained, because that will be particularly important for agriculture. We stand with the Minister in seeking to achieve that at European level and we fully expect that he will be able to do so.