Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 78: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the current strength of the national beef herd; the degree to which numbers have fluctuated in each of the past ten years to date; his plans, if any, to increase the numbers on an annual basis with particular reference to the potential national economic benefit and employment creation potential; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12614/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is assumed that the Deputy's question refers to the numerical strength of the suckler cow herd and this information is presented in tabular format below. It will be observed that the number of suckler cows has remained relatively stable over the last decade albeit with a gradual decline in overall herd size.

The Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme has undoubtedly helped to improve animal husbandry and management practices as well as stabilise beef cow numbers in the aftermath of decoupling. These supports contribute in no small way to underpinning the output quality and overall viability of the sector at farm level.

With regard to economic benefit, the Food Harvest 2020 report states that a viable suckler cow beef herd is fundamental for the development of the beef industry and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) has indicated that the profitability of the existing suckler cow herd could be increased by €200 million by 2020. This would be achieved through a combination of better quality cows and breeding, achieving slaughter carcass weights at a younger age and better carcass quality. In addition, genetic advances offer the potential to deliver greater profitability at farm level through enhanced productivity and disease resistance.

It must be acknowledged that the Government has already committed significant funding to the sector. Direct payments to producers provided by my Department amounted to €110m since the introduction of the Suckler Cow Scheme. Already in 2011, approximately €17m has been paid through the scheme in respect of animals born in 2010, and depending on the number of successful applicants, this figure has the potential to reach €30m by the end of the year.

Furthermore, there are a number of other policy initiatives that serve to provide a sound framework for the future development of the sector. These include the advisory and research output of Teagasc, Bord Bia's Quality Assurance Scheme and its promotional work in expending beef sales at home and abroad together with Beef Improvement Programmes and the Beef and Sheepmeat Capital Investment Fund for the processing industry. All these investments underscore the critical importance of the sector to sustainable economic recovery.

Suckler Cows Numbers (Thousand) by Year

Source: CSO Livestock data.

*Latest available data.