Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator and apologise on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Heydon. I know the Senator has spoken to and engaged with him directly on this issue in the past. He sends his apologies that he cannot be here to deal with the matter in person today.

I will make a few points on his behalf. Like the more recent Storm Éowyn, Storm Bert is part of a pattern of extreme weather which can result in flooding which will affect the country and has done so. Last November, Storm Bert became the second storm of the 2024-25 season, bringing with it the high winds and heavy rains the Senator mentioned in his contribution. Fortunately, its impact was not as persistent and severe as that of Storm Éowyn in late January. Nevertheless, wind and rainfall warnings were issued for affected areas, alerting people to the possibility of severe flooding. However, no forecast can fully cover the effects of unpredictable weather on local topography. I understand that the Maam and Leenane areas of County Galway were seriously affected. Senator Kyne has described the severe rainfall and thawing snow that led to major flooding and landslides in the affected areas.

It is recognised that the drystock sector is vulnerable to losses arising from extreme weather events. Sheep farming is clearly no exception to that. There are existing supports that are specifically targeted at the sector in recognition of its vulnerability and regional importance, particularly along the western seaboard. These supports include multi-annual schemes co-funded under the CAP strategic plan along with annual schemes fully funded by the Exchequer. Helping farmers with income resilience gives them the tools to cope with extreme weather events in the best way on their own farms. On Monday, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, announced the opening of the new national sheep welfare scheme, which is worth €22 million to farmers this year. The budget for the scheme is €7 million more than the budget for its predecessor scheme in 2024 and will allow participants who fully complete the required actions to claim up to €13 per breeding ewe. The scheme's actions are practical, easy to implement and suitable for both upland and lowland flocks. The closing date for applications is 15 May and the Minister strongly encourages all sheep farmers to read the scheme's terms and conditions on the Department's website and to submit an application by that date.

The sheep welfare scheme is separate from but complementary to the sheep improvement scheme, which is funded until 2027 under the CAP strategic plan. The sheep improvement scheme, SIS, supports farmers in carrying out actions that improve animal health and welfare on their sheep enterprises. That has a budget allocation of €100 million. Approximately 16,000 farmers received payments totalling €18 million for participating in the first year of SIS. Under the 2024 national sheep welfare scheme, just over €15 million was paid to 16,300 farmers who completed the required actions.

It is positive that market conditions for sheep farmers are currently buoyant and expected to remain so, at least in the short term, because of supply constraints in both the domestic and overseas markets. However, as is the case with all severe storms, we must review the lessons learnt with a view to better planning for such events, business continuity management and building resilience and readiness across all the sectors.