Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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391. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on the proposal that all animals which come from a quality assured farm should receive the some level of bonus as a way to encourage farmers to participate fully in the Bord Bia quality assurance schemes; the cost of introducing such a measure; and the number of farmers participating in all such schemes, in tabular form. [20047/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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As Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I have no role in setting pricing structures for any market commodity.

The Quality Assurance Schemes operated by Bord Bia have been developed over a period of years and extend beyond the farm gate as vertical industry integrated schemes. Participation in the schemes is voluntary. The latest iteration of the quality assurance scheme, was launched in April 2017.

The scheme was developed partly to address the increasing demand from purchasers of Irish meat products, both nationally and internationally, for verifiable evidence that Irish meat, including beef, was produced sustainably on farms that were certified members of an accredited Quality Assurance Scheme. This evidence which comes from participation in the schemes adds value to farmers businesses.

I understand that at the end of 2017 there were 51,500 farmers accredited to the scheme. Information relating to operational matters can be obtained directly from Bord Bia.