Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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130. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his proposals to support primary producers via the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. [26963/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy  may be aware, the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) aims to provide financial support to the Member States and sectors most affected by Brexit. The eligibility criteria set by the European Union to qualify expenditure under the Reserve are stringent, and a key criterion is that any proposed expenditure must demonstrate a direct link to negative impacts arising from Brexit.

Within my Department to date, €43 million has been allocated in 2022 for Brexit-related purposes, of which €32 million has been allocated to the fisheries sector, €4 million to the horticultural sector, including €3 million to the seed potato sector which I delivered this week alone 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.

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.

My 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.