Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In terms of our rural development programme and our measures within that, we have to engage with the European Commission in terms of getting approval for schemes that are part of that. State aid, which is important with this, comes within the rural development programme. That is why I am engaging with Europe and seeking permission to be able to accommodate additional farmers within the terms of the CAP.

Out of €79 million this year for additional new environmental measures, €23 million is coming from the carbon tax. As the Deputy knows, we can only spend so much of it this year and next year because we are in the transition period.

The clear commitment in the programme for Government is that there will be €1.5 billion of it up to 2030. The new flagship agri-environmental scheme will start in January 2023, so it is really positive that we have the funding for the commitment in the programme for Government to help to make it a good and substantial scheme. If less is spent this year from the €1.5 billion carbon tax fund, there will be more funding from the scheme for the flagship agri-environmental scheme that will be in place from 2023.

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