Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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701. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount that has been allocated to date in direct-aid to farmers from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26251/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Within my Department to date, €40 million has been allocated in 2022 for Brexit-related purposes which is likely to be eligible for funding under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. Of this total, €32 million has been allocated to the fisheries sector, €1 million to the horticultural sector and €7 million to fund an Enterprise Ireland capital investment scheme for meat and dairy processing. This investment is being used to fund development of new products and markets as a consequence of Brexit.

The eligibility criteria for the BAR, as set by the European Union, are stringent, and a key criterion is that any proposed expenditure must demonstrate a direct link to negative impacts arising from Brexit.

In terms of the potential for further funding for the sector from BAR, including further funding for primary producers, my Department is currently assessing options for eligible measures, including in the context of future-proofing the sector against impacts of Brexit that may not have been fully realised yet.

These include the potential negative impacts associated with the additional costs that will arise for Irish exporters as a result of the introduction of new UK import controls when they are deployed, as well as the potential impacts that may arise from from future UK trade policy developments.

Such measures would seek to maintain the competitiveness of Irish products on the UK market, and support the sector in diversifying and building resilience as a response to these future negative impacts. I am committed to ensuring that our great sector is futureproofed and we will use any resource available to us.

The Department will continue to engage with stakeholders in this regard, as well as with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform - the designated body in Ireland to manage BAR funds - in order to confirm which impacts and measures meet the criteria for BAR funding.