Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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94. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of money his Department has paid in salaries for the farmers charter review group and for the farmers charter monitoring committee form their inception to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3449/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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A Farmers’ Charter Review Group was set up in 2014 with a view to agreeing a new Farmers’ Charter of Rights. The Farmers Charter Review Group was chaired by an Assistant Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and comprised of senior Department officials and representatives of the main farmer representative organisations.Following on from positive engagement by all parties, negotiations between my Department and the main farming organisations on a new Farmers’ Charter of Rights concluded on Thursday 11 June 2015 with consensus achieved on the Charter.

The new Charter will remain in place until 2020 coinciding with the lifetime of the current Pillar I and Pillar II schemes.

There were no additional salary costs to my Department in respect of the Farmers’ Charter of Rights Review Group. Officials of my Department carried out work in relation to the Farmers’ Charter of Rights Review Group as part of their day to day work.

A Farmers’ Charter of Rights Monitoring Committee has now been established under an independent chair to monitor agreed targets and standards. This Committee is comprised of representatives of the farm organisations and staff of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Again there are no additional salary costs to my Department in respect of the Farmers’ Charter of Rights Monitoring Committee. Officials of my Department carry out work in relation to the Farmers’ Charter of Rights Monitoring Committee as part of their day to day work.

The Monitoring Committee has met on one occasion since its establishment and a fee of €377 was paid to the Chairman for his chairmanship of this Monitoring Committee meeting.

Derek Nolan (Galway West, Labour)
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95. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if targets were met by the original charter of rights for farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3450/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I understand the Deputy is referring to the original Farmers’ Charter of Rights which dates back to the mid 1990s. Statistics in relation to that Charter are not readily available. However, there have been a number of versions of the Charter since then. Throughout the years, targets set down in the various Farmers’ Charters have been monitored by independently chaired Monitoring Committees comprising representatives of the main farm organisations as well as Department staff. The table below sets out the achievements in terms of targets met for the three most recent years for which the information is available.

Negotiations on the current Farmers’ Charter of Rights took place during 2014 and the first half of 2015. Therefore, Monitoring Committee meetings did not take place during this period. Following on from the achievement of consensus on a new Charter in 2015, a Farmers’ Charter of Rights Monitoring Committee has been established under an independent chair. This Committee is again comprised of representatives of the farm organisations and staff of my Department. This Committee, which had its first meeting in November 2015 and will meet again later this month, will monitor agreed targets and standards throughout the lifetime of this Charter.