Ms Louise Byrne:

There was a possibility of increasing the agricultural reserve funding by up to 200%. We already provide significant supports to the horticultural sector, which I will go through, but we did not have provision in our Estimates to provide that top-up.

I will give a flavour of those supports. The Deputy mentioned the mushroom sector. We have provided significant supports to that sector this year. The mushroom efficiency schemes under the Brexit adjustment reserve, BAR, total €5 million. A mushroom promotion scheme has received €1.89 million in total since 2021. The sector received just over €1.1 million to promote mushroom consumption and retain our market share in the UK. On top of that, we have a €10 million investment aid scheme for the development of the commercial horticulture sector. The BAR supports for potatoes, both seed and chipping, come to €3.1 million. On top of all of that, we have the producer organisation, PO, scheme. The mushroom sector benefits considerably from supports under that scheme. By way of a figure, last year we paid out more than €4 million to growers under the PO scheme, which includes mushroom growers.

Our approach has been consistent across last year and this year. We recognise that all growers were impacted by the increases in input costs. That is accepted. However, we had limited money and, in the context of the concern everybody has about losing growers from the sector, we had to try to protect those growers most at risk. Last year, all the mushroom growers got support under HEPS. This year, the brown mushroom growers got support that white mushroom growers did not, as they were making money. That is not to say they did not experience pain. Of course they did, with the increases in input costs, but we had a limited pot and we wanted to ensure, and sought to secure, the viability of those most at risk and who were in the red.

I do not know whether Mr. Callaghan wants to add to anything I have said. We relied on Teagasc data that was provided by growers. One of the issues is a lack of information. The Minister of State, Deputy Hackett, specifically called for the provision of data to allow us make the case to the EU for this funding. I appreciate that people are disappointed. We do not have funds to match the agricultural reserve funding. We have what we have and it will be distributed as outlined by the Ministers. I am afraid that is all I have to say on the matter.