Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the members of the Rural Independent Group for putting forward the motion today. I always welcome the opportunity to discuss agriculture motions and policy in the Dáil. Whenever a motion is put forward by the Opposition, it is always a good opportunity to emphasise and communicate the work the Government is doing to support our farming families and, of course, to examine the policy and proposals that have been put forward by the Opposition and tease those out. It is important the public get an opportunity to have a thorough examination of what exactly those who are opposing Government policy are proposing themselves.

The key headline today is the motion on culling the national herd. First of all, I want to be clear. As I have said consistently, the Government has not put forward any proposal to cull the national herd. However, we have been engaging with farm organisations and all stakeholders on how we continue our great tradition and important role in this country of food production while reducing the emissions footprint of how we produce that food and achieve the 25% target by 2030 in the agrifood sector, which will contribute to the overall 51% reduction in the economy generally. We are working very closely with farm representative organisations in that regard. I will point out to Deputies that the farm representative organisations have said that we can meet that 25% reduction and that they are up for doing it and want the Government to support them in doing so. The Government is fully committed to that and to working together to achieve it. We are working collaboratively in that regard.

I put together a Food Vision 2030 strategy, working with all the key stakeholders in the agrifood sector, including all the farm representative organisations, to plot out the strategic plan for the agrifood sector up to 2030. We have developed that collaboratively. We are also working to develop our climate action plans collaboratively. As I said, the key objectives and the key commitment from the Government are that we will work alongside farmers to achieve that, with voluntary measures only. Farmers are up for doing that and want to do that. They are often very poorly served by the narrative that is out there and the discussion that often suggests they are not up for it. The reality is they are up for it and we, as a Government, are working very closely with them to support them in doing so.

It is not so long ago since I sat on the Opposition benches, the same as Deputies on the opposite side of the House. I always wanted to get into Government so that I could work to back farm families, put money in their pockets, improve their incomes and set forward a strong, solid policy platform. Those in opposition, as independent Deputies not in Government, do not or have not put a penny in farmers' pockets at any stage over the last number of years. Only by getting into Government and working closely with them can Deputies do that. That is where I want to be and that is why I am in government working with three Government parties to deliver on that.

With regard to what we have delivered, I will outline some of the key measures we have put in place over the last three years which have really had the objective and impact of supporting farm families. We introduced a new Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, which has seen the largest ever increase in income and support from the Government to the CAP in its history. We increased the Government core funding for CAP by 50% in this term, meaning that many of the schemes are in place and farmers can avail of 50% extra income coming from the national Government to support that. That means, for example, between €5,000 to €6,000 with 50% extra funding for the new agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES. All 46,000 farmers who applied, for the first time ever in the history of environmental schemes, got in at the one time, representing the Government's commitment to that.

The suckler cow programme provides €150 per suckler cow. That compares to the €90 per suckler cow, which was in place up to last December. Now, it is €150, again, a key demonstration of the Government's backing for our beef sector and farming families. The targeted agriculture modernisation schemes, TAMS, deliver 40% to 60% grants depending on the category of farmer. Up to last December, there were 200 investment items ranging from slatted houses to tanks and storage facilities to various farm investments for which farmers could get a grant. We increased that to 300 items. In a few months, it has gone from 200 items to 300 items for which farmers can get a grant investment. For young farmers availing of the young farmer top-up, up to last December, the top-up was €70 per hectare for young farmers to encourage them into the sector. That is now €170 per hectare under the new CAP.

We made sure the CAP was fair. We reduced the maximum amount any one farmer can get from €150,000 in the outgoing CAP to €66,000. It is down from €150,000 to €66,000 in order that we spread it around and make sure as many farmers as possible benefit, particularly smaller and medium-sized farmers, and to make sure farmers across the country get a fair deal. We also front-loaded payments per hectare for entitlements so that up to the first 32 ha, which is the average size farm in the country, farmers get an additional payment, again, to make sure it is as fair as possible. We increased organic payments fivefold. I am sure Deputy Michael Collins would support that payment.

We increased the forestry programme significantly in terms of the new payments with a 40% to 60% increase in premiums. We are currently getting the approvals.

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