Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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206. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the value of the levy per tonne paid on farm plastics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31453/21]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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207. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the tonnage the levy paid on farm plastics is paid on from 2016 to 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31454/21]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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208. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the last tender was agreed for farm plastic collection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31455/21]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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209. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the last tender for farm plastic collection was open for competition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31456/21]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 206 to 209, inclusive, together.  

Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe to have introduced legislation specifically designed to promote farm plastics recycling. This legislation, introduced in 1997, is critical to supporting farm plastics recycling as it places a legal responsibility on producers of farm film products to specifically support recycling.

The options open to producers placing farm film products on the Irish market is to either become directly involved in the recycling of farm plastics waste with their customers or to participate in the Government approved farm plastics recycling scheme operated by Irish Farm Film Plastics Group (IFFPG) and approved by my Department.

IFFPG is a not for profit body and was reapproved for a five year term at the start of this year. While my Department sets the policy and legislative framework for the farm plastics waste stream, it has no role in the operational and day to day matters of the approved compliance scheme. Under the terms of the approval, IFFPG are required to publish an annual operational report and audited accounts and these are publicly available on their website www.farmplastics.ie/publications/. These documents contain details on the levy and the contractor tendering process, which is held every 5 years and is administered by independent auditors. I understand that the most recent contractor tender process took place during the end of 2019 / early 2020.