Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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240. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if tillage farmers who suffered crop damage due to the weather conditions in the past season will be considered for monetary compensation. [15987/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I hosted a Tillage Stakeholders Forum recently which consisted of representatives from all sides of this Sector. Addressing the Forum, I took the opportunity to highlight 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.

Therefore I was pleased to facilitate the “Agriculture Cashflow Support Loan Scheme”, which was developed by my Department in co-operation with the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI) and 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. Although there are no official figures as yet on the total drawdown from the Scheme, very strong interest has been reported.

Also the Tillage Investment Scheme under TAMS II opened for online applications on the 8 March 2017. The specific areas of investment include Minimum Disturbance Tillage Equipment, Sprayers, Rain Water Harvesting, Grain Storage and Grain dryers. This Tillage Scheme is the latest of the Targeted Modernisation Schemes (TAMS II) to be launched under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. The Scheme is co-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). All applications must be made on-line, either by the farmer or by an adviser authorised to act on his or her behalf.  The closing date for applications under the first tranche of the new scheme will be Friday 30 June 2017.

As an additional support to cash flow on farms, including Tillage farms, to date €1.182billion has been paid out under the 2016 Basis Payment Scheme to 123,821 farmers and payments are ongoing.  Payments of just over €201million have also been made to 93,921 applicants under the 2016 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 crop losses as a result of the poor harvest conditions of last autumn. My officials have since then had some further meetings with stakeholders and I will consider further the outcome of those deliberations.