Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the extent to which she has had discussions with her EU colleagues in the matter of bio-energy crops; the extent to which such discussions are expected to impact positively on climate change issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7350/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Support to farmers for growing energy crops is available under the EU Energy Crops Scheme, which provides an EU premium of up to €45 per hectare provided the energy crops are intended for use in the production of biofuels and electric and thermal energy produced from biomass. At the February 2006 Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting, I called for a review of the energy crop premium as it was not proving effective in Ireland and I subsequently raised the matter with the Agriculture Commissioner. The EU Commission subsequently published a Report on implementation of the scheme and made a proposal to allow member states pay national aid of up to 50% of the costs associated with establishing miscanthus and willow. I strongly supported this Proposal and successfully negotiated an amendment to the relevant EU regulation in line with the Commission proposal. I also received confirmation from the European Commission that land used for growing willow and miscanthus is eligible to benefit from the Single Farm Payment.

During negotiations, I emphasised the important role that energy crops play in the biofuel supply chain and their potential contribution to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. In accordance with the National Bioenergy Action Plan, I launched a number of measures in 2007 to stimulate the production of energy crops. The measures include a new National Energy Premium of €80 per hectare and a Bioenergy Scheme offering establishment grants of up to €1,450 per hectare to plant willow and miscanthus. The buoyant market for biofuels and the new incentives contributed to increased energy crop production in 2007 with some 8,000 hectares planted. My Department is also implementing a number of other measures, as set out in the National Climate Change Strategy, to reduce emissions from the Agriculture sector.

At the recent January Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting on the future of the Common Agriculture Policy, I reiterated again the important contribution that agriculture can make to renewable energy and to protecting the environment.