Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed that this issue has not been nailed down at this stage. For what does the commitment in the programme for Government stand? I remind the Minister that it is his party's programme for Government. If it commits to the provision of an additional €25 million in ANC funding for 2018, it is a poor reflection on the priority attached to agriculture that a week prior to the announcement of the budget, the matter is still under discussion and the Minister cannot made a clear commitment that the money will be forthcoming. The programme for Government stipulates that it will be provided. It is not exactly a big issue on which to have a fight; that fight would have been fought a year and half ago when the programme for Government was put in place. Will the funding which clearly must be provided and is non-negotiable be additional to what was included in the rural development programme and the overall Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, envelope in 2014, or will it simply be a rejigging of the spend, with farmers ending up no better off and the Government robbing Peter to pay Paul within the overall CAP envelope to provide the €25 million in funding?

On the distribution of the additional funding provided, I am aware that there is a delay in the discussions at EU level in ensuring the constraint of land type is reflected in payments, but there is no reason the Minister could not begin that process and ensure farmers would be compensated in accordance with the level of difficulty they encounter in farming the land.

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