Ms Rebecca Chapman:

On the totality of the spend, that is obviously a matter for the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform so I cannot speak to that. I can speak to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine's share in that. In budgets 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Department got specific allocations for BAR. In 2021 it was €19 million, in 2022 it was €40 million and in 2023 it was €238 million, which brings it to a total of nearly €300 million over those three years. Separate from that, the Department incurred expenditure on infrastructure costs through the OPW, which will add to that total.

The Senator may be aware we appeared before the select committee last Wednesday with a Supplementary Estimate for a further BAR spend. A further expenditure of €80 million for 2023 was approved at that committee meeting which we were grateful for. That will bring the 2023 allocation for the Department up even further. That shows that every effort is being made to maximise the Department's spending on this fund. Our colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform have helped us with that at every stage and we have been engaging with them throughout.

On the matter of BAR beef schemes continuing into next year, the eligibility period for BAR is very clear. It must finish at the end of this year, on 31 December, so any beef supports that happen after this date will be from national measures. It will be subject to each annual budgetary process, so that is something we will have to watch. The one we do know about so far is the genotyping scheme because that scheme started this year. However, we will have a slight continuation into 2024 and 2025 but that will be met from national resources. There is a provision in budget 2024 for the tail of that scheme.