Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is a simple answer to that question - there was not enough available. We had been using unspent funds for the dairy discussion groups, on which we were spending approximately €6 million a year. I have taken this money from the dairy sector because it now has proof that such discussion groups work. The approximately 7,000 dairy farmers involved in discussion groups can see the benefits which we have measured. Many of them have improved their margins in the past three years by 3%, 4% and 5% as a result of running a better business. We decided that we would take the money and add to the €6 million some money from the sheep grassland scheme to provide a decent sum of money, €10 million, for a data transfer scheme in respect of the suckler herd. This makes a good deal of sense.

We used other money in the mainstream budget to introduce a €3 million sheep-discussion-group model to compensate for my taking of €4 million from the unspent money, that is, the €17 million that was being provided for a sheep grassland scheme. That made sense on many levels. However, we are putting almost as much money into sheep and suckler farming this year as we did last year although we have changed the way in which the schemes work somewhat. We are asking sheep farmers to buy into a discussion-group model.

With regard to unspent funds, there is but a limited amount that we can spend. We are trying to use it as effectively as possible to support the sector. Since I became Minister, I have said suckler farming is a considerably important part of the mix. At present, half our beef comes from that sector. Over the next five or ten years, as dairy farming grows in Ireland, we will not want to allow the beef sector to become a by-product of the dairy sector. We want the opposite, in fact, because all our top-quality beef comes from the suckler herd. This is why I will continue to try to support the suckler sector, be it through a new CAP reform process or in very tight budgetary times, such as those we are experiencing. This is why I found €10 million for a new scheme although the suckler cow welfare scheme had come to an end.

There is not a big ask for farmers. All we are asking them to do in order to avail of the money available - the €10 million under the data transfer scheme - is simply what they have already been doing under the suckler welfare scheme, that is, provide data on the fertility and health of their animals. The focus has been on breeding information because all the experts tell me this is most valuable. We are asking farmers to do an awful lot less and are continuing to give them a reasonable amount of money to do so.

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