Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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15. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will work towards a suckler cow premium of €200 per head in order to ensure that beef farmers can remain in business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2297/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Irish suckler cow herd is a vital element of the Irish beef sector and supports for the sector include direct payments, in addition to a range of measures under the Rural Development Programme to improve efficiency and profitability on farm and to support environmentally sustainable production to help to address the challenge of profitability . These include the Basic Payments Scheme as well as various other support schemes.

The Beef Data and Genomics Programme, or BDGP, was launched on 5th May 2015. It is part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. There is funding of €300 million available within the scheme and it builds on my Department’s previous Beef Data Programme and Beef Genomics schemes.

The BDGP aims to (i) address widely acknowledged weaknesses in the maternal genetics of the Irish suckler herd, (ii) reduce the Greenhouse Gas intensity of Ireland’s beef production and (iii) make a positive contribution to the future viability of suckler farmers and the national suckler herd.

To achieve these objectives my Department has drawn up six requirements that farmers must meet in order to draw down payment from the scheme.

Participants will also be required to genotype animals on their farms which have been selected by the ICBF (Irish Cattle Breeding Federation). Farmers will also then be required to undertake a replacement strategy to ensure that a certain percentage of the animals on their herd at particular deadlines are of 4 or 5 star rating on the Euro Star ratings system. It should be noted that most farmers are already well on the way to meeting the requirement for replacement animals on their herds, with significant numbers of 4 and 5 star animals already in scheme participant’s herds.

Participants in the programme will receive a payment of €142.50 for each of the first eligible 6.66 hectares and €120 for each of the remaining hectares up to the maximum payable area. The payment rate of €142.50 is the maximum amount which could be provided based on the cost incurred and income foregone associated with the actions under the BDGP, as negotiated with the European Commission, and it would not be possible to arbitrarily increase the payment.

My Department, in conjunction with the ICBF and Teagasc, have recently completed a series of nationwide information meetings for participants in the scheme. All of these meetings were very well attended, with applicants asking questions regarding the scheme requirements to the panel of experts in attendance as well availing of the opportunity to have one-to-one engagement with Department and ICBF staff.

It is my view that this scheme is the best mechanism by which support can be specifically targeted at suckler farmers to ensure that they can develop their farm business in order to meet the challenges of profitability in this sector.

In addition to the BDGP my Department has developed a number of schemes, which suckler farmers can avail of and which will allow them to develop their farms to ensure a viable future in suckler farming. Under the Rural Development Programme funding has been made available for Knowledge Transfer (KT) where farmers will receive a total payment of €750 per annum. The Beef KT programme is an excellent way for farmers to enhance their enterprises and bring about efficiencies to their production systems. In addition under TAMS, supports have been made available for a range of capital investment on farms including for example animal housing which will allow suckler farmers to invest in their farms and I have also targeted supports for young farmers wishing to invest in their farms in the form of the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme. Schemes such as these are a vital aid to ensure that suckler farmers can continue to farm into the future and develop profitable enterprises, and demonstrate a clear commitment by my Department to such farmers.