Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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526. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will reopen the beef data and genomics programme for new participants with additional funding for suckler cow support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28344/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) is a part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme and provides Irish suckler farmers with some €300 million of funding over the next 6 years. The BDGP builds on the large investment in data recording and genomics which have been made in recent years and will continue to drive further developments and improvements in this area.

The BDGP has been agreed with the European Commission as part of Ireland’s Rural Development Plan (2014-2020) alongside a number of other schemes. I am conscious of the positive effect that the programme will have on the Irish suckler herd. It will help to improve productivity, profitability and carbon efficiency in the Irish suckler herd. I firmly believe that the scheme will deliver long-term and cumulative positive effects for both suckler farmers participating in the scheme, and farmers who buy the progeny of suckler cows for further finishing. It is a significant contributor to Ireland’s reputation as a producer of sustainable beef.

In relation to any possible reopening of the scheme, this will have to be considered in the context of an assessment of budgetary priorities, the operation of the Rural Development Programme and the potential impact both upon the scheme itself and other schemes. However, it will not be possible to allocate additional resources to the scheme, having regard to the very large financial commitment already made to the BDGP in the Rural Development Programme, and the significant budgetary pressures across the agri food sector and it will have to be considered in the context of existing budgetary resources.