Mr. Gordon Conroy:

I will deal with the sheep question first in terms of support for that sector. The simple answer is that the exposure of the sheep sector to the UK market was not the same as that of the other sectors. While we felt we could make a compelling case for support for the beef, fisheries and the horticulture sectors, some of which the Senator referred to, the same compelling rationale did not exist in the sheep sector within the strict criteria set out by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform regarding BAR eligibility. I understand there was a lot of discussion on that but that is the position. It was important for us to stick to the strict criteria of BAR eligibility.

The Senator spoke about currency fluctuations. We looked at that as well in terms of eligibility under BAR and the criteria there regarding price or currency fluctuations. The issues around them are quite complex and multifaceted and there is no direct link to Brexit as a result of those. Again, while support was given to the horticulture in that particular space, it would not come under the BAR eligibility criteria.

As for beef schemes, there are a number of measures that will continue as part of budget 2024 to support the beef sector. I might ask Ms Chapman to go into that in more detail and, if it is okay, to touch on issues around the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in terms of the overall allocation of the fund. I am aware it has requested the Commission to transfer €150 million of the fund to REPowerEU which would be available to Ireland as a country and as a member state.