Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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202. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the status of the sustainable dairy assurance scheme including its expected duration; the position regarding primary producers who do not join the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5266/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme, launched in December 2013, was developed in cooperation with milk producers, processors and the regulatory authorities, including my Department. The Scheme was designed to provide the necessary proof to customers of Irish dairy products that milk has been produced under both sustainability and quality assurance criteria. The Scheme gives the dairy sector the capability to both benchmark Irish milk production internationally and to demonstrate the commitment of Irish dairy farms to sustainable farming practices. The Scheme also allows the sector access to markets and buyers that demand on-farm certification and provide assurance for those customers regarding sustainable production of quality milk.

The scheme is open to all milk producers with a valid herd registration who supply to milk processors in the Republic of Ireland. Generally such suppliers apply to Bord Bia, through their milk purchaser, for participation in the Scheme. Bord Bia in turn process the application, provide an information pack and then assign the farm to an auditor. A farm visit will be conducted by an independent auditor on every member’s farm at 18-month intervals at a time and day that suits the farmer. The purpose of these visits is to audit the farm against the quality assurance criteria and to collect data regarding the sustainability of the farm.

To date almost 14,500 applications to join the scheme have been received, 80% of which have been audited. In total over 60% of all dairy farmers are now certified, meaning they have their audit completed and all the corrective actions have been undertaken. There are also farms being audited in Northern Ireland and the first certified farm there was approved last month. This Scheme does not have an end date, as is common with all quality assurance schemes of this nature. It is a matter for processors as to how to deal with milk from suppliers who may choose not to join the scheme. To date 80% of suppliers have applied to join the scheme and I understand from Bord Bia that the capacity is there to audit each dairy farm in the country by the end of the year, if required.