Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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387. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date for the next national tillage forum with stakeholders with a view to the introduction of a crisis aid fund for tillage farmers that had their crop destroyed or badly damaged by severe weather in 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9455/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is aware from my previous replies to him of the position with regard to this issue and he will know that I hosted a further Tillage Stakeholders Forum last Thursday 16 February which consisted of representatives from all sides of this Sector.

I took the opportunity to highlight at the Forum that one of my priorities has been to address the impact of the change in the sterling exchange rate and lower commodity prices in some sectors, which have caused cash flow difficulties for farmers. I was pleased to announce the launch of the “Agriculture Cashflow Support Loan Scheme” recently. The Scheme, which was developed in co-operation with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), makes €150 million available to farmers throughout Ireland at interest rates of 2.95%.

Distributed through AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank, it provides tillage farmers with a low cost, flexible source of working capital and will allow them to pay down more expensive forms of short-term debt, ensuring the ongoing financial sustainability of viable farming enterprises. The loans are for amounts up to €150,000 for up to six years and are flexible with interest only facilities of up to three years.

As an additional support to cash flow on farms, including Tillage farms, I also informed the stakeholders at the Forum that to date €1.177 billion has been paid out to 123,454 farmers and payments are ongoing. Payments of €199.6 million have also been made to 93,341 applicants under the Areas of Natural Constraints scheme.

I can confirm to the Deputy that a wide ranging discussion took place among all the stakeholders who attended the Forum, including on the issue of compensation for crop losses as a result of the poor harvest conditions of last autumn. As I stated at the Forum, I will look at this issue further and revert in due course.