Written answers

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Rural Development Plan

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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481. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason there is no attributed cost to the cost for farmers in completing the carbon navigator with an approved advisor as this is an obligatory requirement of the RDP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34485/14]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The draft RDP was finalised by my Department and submitted to the European Commission on the 3rd of July 2014.  The shape of the various schemes proposed under the draft programme has not yet been finalised. This draft will now form the basis for a period of discussion with the Commission and the subsequent formal adoption of the RDP. Finalising the details of each scheme and securing approval for the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 will be a priority for my Department in the coming months. It’s important to note that the RDP is of course co-funded by the European Commission and therefore all decisions on scheme design and implementation must be taken jointly with them. The role of the carbon navigator in emphasising the credibility of the B eef Data and Genomics Programme scheme to the European Commission will be crucial in helping to secure their support for the implementation of the scheme. The SWOT a nalysis conducted as part of the Rural Development programming process clearly identified opportunities to build on Ireland’s green reputation internat ionally , and to capitalise on our high levels of carbon efficiency. At the same time, due to our high dependence on animal productio n systems, there are pressures to further reduce GHG emissions from the agriculture sector and to meet binding emission reduction targets established under the EU Effort Sharing Decision.

These opportunities and threats identified in the SWOT analysis are addressed through a variety of measures in the RDP, including the addition of the Carbon N avigator to the proposed Knowledge Transfe r Groups and the Beef Data and G enomics Programme (BDGP) . The Carbon Navigator, developed by Teagasc and Bord Bia , allows farmers to understand how their farms produce greenhouse gases, identify mitigation capacity, and set targets and a pathway to reduce emissions. I believe the Carbon Navigator has a very positive contribution to make by bringing the science of climate change mitigation down to the level of the farm in a user friendly format. Crucially it also underlines the link between improving farm profit margins and climate change actions. The Carbon Navigator clearly demonstrates, to the farmer, the considerable economic savings that can be achieved through climate change mitigation actions such as a longer grazing season or increased calving rates.

The cost calculations developed for both the Knowledge Transfer groups and the BDGP are based on the cost incurred and income foregone for farmers involved in these measures. Under EU rules, and in line with good budgetary management, it is precluded from paying farmers for doing the same activity under two separate schemes. Given that all farmers in the Beef Knowledge Transfer groups will also be required to be in the Beef Data and Genomics Programme, there is a risk of double funding if the cost of the Carbon Navigator is included in the cost calculations under both measures. Therefore, the Carbon Navigator is only included in the cost calculation under the Knowledge Transfer Groups. Having said that, it is important to emphasise that the proposal still remains to grant €80 per animal for each set of actions carried out under the BDGP.

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