Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 360: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of farmers involved in egg production in 1997 on a county basis; the number involved at present on the same basis; if she is satisfied that enough effort is being made to support family farm units; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29274/07]

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 361: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of farmers involved in poultry production in 1997 on a county basis; the number involved at present on the same basis; if she is satisfied that enough effort is being made to support family farm units; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29275/07]

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of farmers involved in sheep production in 1997 on a county basis; the number involved at present on the same basis; if she is satisfied that enough effort is being made to support family farm units; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29276/07]

Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 363: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the number of farmers involved in pig production in 1997 on a county basis; the number involved at present on the same basis; if she is satisfied that enough effort is being made to support family farm units; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29277/07]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 360 to 363, inclusive, together.

There was no census of agriculture conducted in 1997. The nearest year for which farm data on a county basis is available is the census of agriculture conducted by the CSO in June 2000. These numbers are reflected in table 1 for pigs, table 2 for poultry and table 3 for sheepmeat. The 2007 data tables 1 and 2 have been obtained in accordance with the European Communities (Registration of Holdings and Identification of Animals) Regulations 1996 for pigs, and the Diseases of Animals Act 1966 (Registration of Poultry Premises) Order 2005 for poultry. These figures relate to all holdings where pigs or poultry, (including egg holdings), are kept.

The most recent data available regarding the sheep flock is the National Sheep and Goats Census, conducted in December 2006. According to this source, there were a total of 35,277 sheep flocks in the state in December 2006. A breakdown of the data on a county basis is given in the table underneath.

My Department's support ranges from the single farm payment to specific sectoral initiatives. For pigmeat, by far the main difficulty facing the pig sector is the very high cost of feed.

The EU Council of Agriculture Ministers has, in response to the pressures on the international cereal and feed markets, agreed to suspend the obligation to set 10% of arable land aside. This will ensure that more arable land is available for cereal cultivation in 2008.

A scheme of financial assistance for the private storage of pigmeat has been in place since October 29. This was adopted by the European Commission in response to a request from me and some other Member States. I have also impressed on the Commission the desirability of export refunds for fresh and frozen pigmeat and this will be kept under consideration.

Pigmeat features prominently in Bord Bia's programme of promotion on the home and export markets. I have asked the Bord to intensify its Autumn pork and bacon promotion campaign in order to ensure that the market remains firm over the coming months. Additional funding is being made available for this. The Bord Bia quality assurance schemes are also a good tool in maintaining consumer confidence and, in this context; the pigmeat scheme is well established and managed.

On the export front, Irish pork has access to important markets worldwide and pork is included in overseas promotion drives and market access initiatives.

Other initiatives aimed at sustaining the pig industry that I have introduced include the extension of the farm waste management scheme to the pig sector and my Department's programme of financial assistance for the transition to welfare-friendly sow housing.

For poultry, overall, it is my policy that this industry should develop to its full potential and be in a position to meet the demands of today's consumers and withstand the very strong competition from abroad.

An Expert Group to advise on steps to ensure the future success of the industry will finalise its work shortly and I look forward to receiving its report. That report is likely to cover areas such as production, marketing and promotion, environmental protection and animal welfare.

I should also point out that Bord Bia, working in conjunction with the poultry industry and my Department, have in operation the very successful Chicken and Egg Quality Assurance Schemes which are viewed by consumers as a guarantee of quality and I am confident that the market position of our poultry will be enhanced as a result. It is important that consumer confidence is maintained and I believe that the Quality Assurance Schemes will be a valuable tool in this regard.

Recommendations for action to address the challenges facing the sheep sector in Ireland were set out in the report of the Sheep Strategy Development Group in June 2006 and in the report of the Implementation Group in April 2007. The recommendations are supported by my Department through assistance for breeding and management, processing facilities, mechanical grading and quality assurance. In addition and in line with the Group's report, sheep farmers are major beneficiaries of various schemes being operated by my Department. Under REPS 4, a new supplementary measure aimed at sheep farmers has been introduced. A budget of €28m a year has been allocated to fund the proposed new supplementary measure at an overall cost of over €170m for the period to 2013.