Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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891. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the compensation funds and supports available to a business (details supplied) which was severely damaged by Storm Ophelia recently and saw thousands of trees destroyed; the funds that are available from his Department at national level to compensate for damage to tree stock from this adverse weather event; the funds available at EU level in this regard to safeguard full-time and part-time jobs in the business; and if he has he deployed State agencies under his remit to advise on supports available. [45836/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of and concerned about the damaging effects caused by storm Ophelia on many sectors, including agriculture and horticulture. I am very conscious of the challenges facing the horticulture industry and my Department, along with the various state agencies; Bord Bia, Teagasc and Enterprise Ireland, are working closely to support the industry through a number of measures. In 2016, Ireland’s horticulture sector contributed over €430m to the value of output at farm-gate level and is estimated to be directly responsible for over 6,600 jobs with many more employed indirectly both upstream and downstream.

The Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector facilitates capital investments in a broad range of specialised horticultural equipment and buildings by providing grant aid at a rate of 40% (50% in the case of young applicants under 35 years of age) on approved costs.

For 2017, approvals were issued to 156 applicants which will facilitate grower investment costing approximately €16m. Many applicants are already inspected and paid, while the processing of more recent claims is ongoing. At this stage we expect to utilise the full budget of €5m available for the scheme this year.

This scheme continues to be an excellent vehicle for investment in all sectors of the horticulture industry and I’m delighted to confirm that Budget 2018 allocated €5m in funding again for the 2018 Scheme of Investment Aid for Commercial Horticulture, which reflects this Government's commitment to ongoing support for this sector. The competitive nature of the scheme combined with the scheme’s flexibility and ability to react to evolving situations are two key strengths in supporting this highly dynamic sector. An early opening of the scheme is anticipated.

The SBCI Loan Scheme launched in last year’s budget was a great success and a number of horticultural businesses have benefited from these low interest loans. As part of the recent Budget, €25 million has been secured to facilitate the development of a new Brexit response loan scheme for farmers, fishermen and food businesses and further details will be announced in due course.