Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 2:

To delete all words after “That Dáil Eireann” and substitute the following:

“notes:

— the major role agriculture plays in creating employment, generating economic activity and acting as a custodian of the countryside in Ireland;

— the competitive advantage Ireland has in sustainable livestock production, particularly dairy, beef and sheep farming, based on a grass-based production system, which is both relatively low cost and carbon efficient;

— the shared Food Wise 2025 strategy for the development of the sector, which highlights the opportunities to grow the value of farm output, value added and agrifood exports, growth that must be managed in an environmentally sustainable manner;

— the unique vulnerability and exposure of agriculture to fluctuations in the weather;

— the on-going hardship due to fluctuations in the weather and the sacrifices farming families have made to protect their livestock;

— the role the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Teagasc, co-operatives, farming organisations and farmers have played in working through this challenging period;

— the securing of an increased advance payment in October 2017, under Pillar I and Pillar II of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP);

— the payment of €1.6 billion in CAP direct payments to Irish farmers, before the end of 2017, providing an important source of income support for farm families;

— that for the first time in winter/spring of 2017/2018, under the new Sheep Welfare Scheme, advance payments totalling €16 million issued to sheep farmers, with a further €3 million to issue in the coming weeks, providing valuable support to the sheep sector;

— the securing of an additional €25 million in Budget 2018, for payments under the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) Scheme, where the highest level of support is targeted at those who are faced with the highest level of constraint on their land, bringing the total amount allocated to the 2018 ANC Scheme to €227 million;

— the prioritisation by Teagasc of the provision of direct support to these farmers through fodder budgeting and nutritional advice, not only then, but throughout the winter and spring;

— the convening of a stakeholder group chaired by Teagasc, comprising of all the main stakeholders including feed merchants and co-operatives, banking and farm bodies, to monitor the fodder situation; and

— the timely introduction of a targeted Fodder Transport Scheme, to address the shortage of supplies of fodder in the North and North West, in January of this year; and

further notes:

— that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is in regular contact with all of the stakeholders following the introduction of this scheme;

— the timely introduction of a Fodder Import Support Scheme to cover all co-operatives and importers approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to import fodder;

— the extension of the deadline for the submission of Nitrates Derogation Applications, until 30th April, 2018;

— the extension of grazing under the Traditional Hay Meadows (THM) measure in the Green, Low-Carbon, Agri-Environment Scheme, until 1st May, 2018;

— the securing of a commitment towards flexibility in the ‘three-crop rule’ under Greening requirements in Pillar I of the CAP;

— the availability of rapid emergency feed assistance to any farmer facing immediate feed shortage, through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine animal welfare helpline that supports the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council's Early Warning/Intervention System (EWS);

— the need to ensure that farmers are adequately equipped with the necessary knowledge and advice to deal with fluctuations in the weather and to keep fodder supplies under review;

— the one-to-one assistance being provided to farmers by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to lodge their Basic Payment Scheme applications;

— the continuous monitoring of the situation by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Teagasc; and

— the increased regularity of severe weather events and the need to consider the inclusion of appropriate risk management tools, to mitigate against the impacts of such events on farming enterprises in the next iteration of the CAP.”

I am sharing time with Deputies Creed and Fitzpatrick.

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