Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am satisfied that the programme for Government commitments have been transposed into the climate action Bill with regard to ensuring that the socioeconomic importance of agriculture is recognised by the Government, and that the science around biogenic methane is very much central to all considerations, both at the Climate Change Advisory Council and by the Government thereafter.

Ultimately, this will be a decision for the Government, looking across all sectors to see how best we can achieve our target. The programme for Government gives very clear regard to agriculture and that is transposed into the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill.

In regard to sustainable farm incomes, that issue absolutely has to be central to all we do in government in terms of supporting farmers. That is why I am focusing at European level on making sure there is the capacity in the national CAP plan to give full consideration to the different sectors in farming and how we can best support them. It is also why we have delivered an 11% increase in the budget for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine this year, to support farm families, maintain many of the schemes that are in place and enable new schemes to come into operation. One of those schemes is the results-based environment agri pilot programme, REAP, under which Galway and Mayo are the two counties with the largest numbers of farmers participating. Many of them are sheep farmers, which the Deputy mentioned. That is a very important sector and one I have worked to ensure is central to the CAP and fully supported under it. In the case of young farmers, at least 3% of overall CAP funding will go towards supporting them. We must ensure there are young farmer top-ups as part of that. We will also look at other schemes and engage with all farmer representative organisations, including Macra na Feirme, in drawing up our national CAP plan to see how we can ensure moneys allocated make a real impact in genuinely supporting young farmers to enter the industry and renew our farmer base.

The Deputy also mentioned the forgotten farmer issue, which we have discussed on a number of occasions. I have asked officials to put together a report looking at all the ins and outs of this issue, because there are many complications in it and farmers are impacted in different ways, with a view to trying to accommodate them as part of the next CAP and ensure they get a fair deal. There is no doubt many of them missed out under previous CAP provisions because of the timing of their entry into farming and other issues. It is really important that they get full recognition and I am working to ensure that is done under the next CAP.

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