Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We introduced many new schemes for the first time, such as the new genotyping scheme, which will see every animal based in this country genotyped to give full traceability. It is the first in the world. I just announced that a few weeks ago. That will really keep our sector at the forefront of the world beef sector.

With regard to responding to particular challenges, the fodder scheme provided €1,000 per farm family last year and will do so again this year. The tillage incentive scheme pays €400 per hectare for each new hectare of tillage. The liming scheme is a new and innovative scheme that is very much oversubscribed and I am working to get additional funding for that.

That is a reflection of what this Government is doing. It is unprecedented in terms of the investment we are putting in and the additionality and increased investment from one CAP programme to another. We are working in government to back farm families and give a substantial policy-based future direction to Irish agriculture that will see it sustained into the years ahead and provide real options for income to farmers in order that they have very viable farm incomes. This is building on many of the schemes that are in place and, importantly, working with farmers in that regard.

Going back to the key point Deputies put forward regarding culling, under Food Vision 2030: A World Leader in Sustainable Food Systems, I set up the dairy vision group as well as the beef and sheep group. The dairy vision group, which includes farm organisations, such as the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, and Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, ICMSA, recommended that we explore the option of a voluntary reduction scheme. That is no more than what is happening at the moment. I am exploring it with them and I have asked them for further feedback in that regard.

Regarding the beef and sheep scheme, the farmer representative organisations recommend very strongly that there should not be any voluntary scheme in the beef sector. I was very clear in responding because I know we have to work together to set out how we go forward. I made it very clear there would be no reduction scheme in the beef sector. I would recommend that the Deputies opposite would talk to the IFA and the ICMSA. They were part of the stakeholder groups with which I will be working very closely to consult further.

I know the Deputies opposite will refer to farmers they have met here or there and what they told them. That is the key anchor for their argument today. However, representative organisations are the ones I am working with to set out the future on how we can back farmers, how we can get clear policy direction, how we can ensure that income is delivered to farmers through the schemes we have and through ensuring, for example, that for the first time ever we have a statutory independent food regulatory office put in place to provide transparency in the food supply chain.

We also need to ensure new opportunities to deliver income to farmers through ecosystem services and energy production, including, solar and anaerobic digestion. All the way we need to back farmers to ensure that we lead out nationally. They are meeting and will continue to meet the challenges of today - the challenges relating to biodiversity and ensuring we provide space for nature. We need to pay farmers properly for the work they are doing so that they can continue the massively important work at the core of their profession which is producing top-class, world-beating sustainable safe food, not just for our own country but the rest of the world as well.

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