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

I wish to clarify a couple of matters on the four star and five star rating issue. At least one stock bull on the holding on 30 June 2019, which is four years from now, must be a bull that has been geno-typed four or five star on either the terminal or replacement index or a similar four or five star bull must be retained on the holding until 30 June 2020. In other words, the farmer can lease the bull. We are trying to give a signal to farmers that they need to plan to improve the bulls with which they will be breeding their animals and that they have four years to do it. That is why this is a six year commitment and not a year-on-year commitment. If someone decides to go into this scheme next year, gets the payments and then decides to pull out, it is of no value to anyone apart from the cash value to the farmer concerned.

However, if one makes a commitment for the six years, one gets payments for the full six years and is on a journey, from contributing information at the start and taking training for which one will be paid, on top of the beef genomic payment, to using the training and scientific information one has been given to have better breeding towards the end of the six years. This is so that, by the end of that period, we will have a better suckler herd, which is something from which everyone benefits.

If someone is forced out of the scheme because something dramatic happens or so on, we will consider the question of force majeure, as we do when farmers are forced out of other schemes. We understand that such things happen, but we want a medium-term, six-year commitment from farmers. This is not simply an annual cash payment for having a suckler herd. It is a programme that has some complexity to it but that farmers understand.

The six-year commitment involves generous payments throughout and will achieve exciting results for the farmer. This is why we have it. If we just have a year-on-year payment and farmers can opt in or out, those who leave early will have given all of the information but received none of the benefits. The Commission would not approve a programme that took five or six years to accrue benefits and for which we paid €300 million without getting a commitment that farmers would see it through. This is the issue. I hope that farmers understand.

I have been open and honest with farming organisations about it during the scheme's design. I hope that everyone will understand what we are doing, namely, ensuring it is a win-win for everyone by improving incomes for beef farmers while improving the quality of their breeding herds over a six-year period. We will get exciting results if the partnership between the Department and farmers works as planned.

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