Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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1385. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if it is possible under the rural development programme to have both a suckler cow welfare scheme and an agri-environmental beef scheme in operation. [38601/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Supports for the suckler sector, or indeed any other sector, need to be considered in the overall context of Ireland’s current Rural Development Programme (RDP), taking account of our current budgetary commitments under the programme.

While it may be technically possible to provide assistance to the suckler cow sector through a suckler welfare cow scheme in addition to the agri-environment beef scheme which is currently provided through the BDGP, any such assistance could only be funded on the basis of costs incurred and income foregone, and would have to be funded from within the RDP envelope. It would also require a significant amendment to that RDP and would of course be subject to approval of the European Commission.  

The Rural Development Programme already provides significant support for the Suckler sector.

Through Pillar II of the CAP, €300 million of funding over a six year period has been targeted at the Irish suckler herd through the Bovine Data Genomics Programme (BDGP). In response to significant demand, earlier this year I reopened the BDGP programme for new entrants, reflecting the success of this programme, which targets improving both the environmental footprint and also the profitability of the suckler herd through improving the genetic merit in participating herds. The effects of improving the genetic merit of the herds are cumulative and permanent. It is my belief that this type of scheme which sees the application of leading scientific technology applied in a practical manner at farm level is the most appropriate means of providing support to the suckler sector.

While BDGP is the main support, there are a range of further supports provided to suckler farmers under the RDP such as Knowledge Transfer Groups, GLAS, TAMS and supports to ANCs.