Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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770. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the grant support for agtech and dairy improvement that will be available in a scheme (details supplied), particularly for equipment which reduces labour and improves farm safety; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53347/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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TAMS has proven itself to be a really important and popular scheme which has driven important farm investments. To date, expenditure under TAMS II has exceeded €377m. Payments under the TAMS II scheme continue to issue on an ongoing basis. TAMS continues to be a hugely successful and beneficial scheme, and I am delighted that it will continue in 2023 in a bigger and better way with a stronger emphasis on environmental investments.

Dairy farmers will continue to be included in TAMS schemes from 2023 onwards. There will also be some changes including a resetting of the investment ceiling to €90,000 and increased grant rates for specified investments that will form part of TAMS. The investment list for grant-aided items is currently being finalised and will be published shortly.

It is also proposed from 2023 onwards to provide grant aid for farm safety investments at the higher grant rate of 60%.

These changes are subject to approval of the Rural Development Plan (RDP) amendment by the European Commission. The amendment is currently with the Monitoring Committee of the RDP for their views before its formal submission to the Commission.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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774. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department's position on the payments in relation to the basic payment scheme in cases in which land has been leased for the installation of solar panels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53503/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Support under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is payable upon activation of an eligible hectare per payment entitlement.

In general terms, an eligible hectare is one that is used for an agricultural activity or, where the area is also used for a non-agricultural activity, is predominantly used for such activities. An area is predominantly used for agricultural activity, if that activity can be exercised without being significantly hampered by the intensity, nature, duration and timing of the non-agricultural activity.

While cases involving solar panels will be examined on an individual basis, solar panels will be considered as ineligible features within the eligible parcel. In general, parcels or parts of a parcel containing solar panels may be considered eligible, but reductions must be made to the eligible area to take account of the impact of the panels on forage availability. If the effect of the solar panel, including the supporting structures, is to reduce the eligible area by 70% of the parcel or more, then a reduction of 100% is made for the area under the solar panels.

If this is a whole parcel, the parcel is deemed ineligible. If the impact on the eligible area is less than 70% of the parcel area, an appropriate percentage reduction must be made. Appropriate reductions must also be made for other ineligible features within the parcel e.g. scrub, rock or hardcore including roadways.

In all cases, parcels containing solar panels will only be considered eligible where there is evidence that an agricultural activity takes place on the parcel (e.g. grazing with sheep). The solar panels must not hamper the agricultural activity. Such parcels must also comply with relevant Statutory Management Requirements and Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards.

With regard to potential impact on BPS entitlements it is important to note that a farmer must use all entitlements every two years. Therefore, any reductions in eligible area arising from the installation of solar panels may impact the number of entitlements held after two years unless the farmer (a) obtains more land (b) leases out his entitlements, or (c) sells the entitlements.

It is also worth noting that all agricultural land used to claim BPS must be owned/leased/rented and used and managed by the applicant.

If the applicant is not the owner of the land, they must have a lease or rental agreement in place with the owner of the land. If a farmer retains ownership of the land, but leases it out to a third party, to install solar panels, the farmer must have a written agreement with the third party, to perform agricultural activities on the parcel concerned, in order for the parcel to be considered eligible.

Such agreements must fulfil the land availability rules set down in the BPS terms and conditions. There must be independent and suitable access for animals for the farming enterprise being conducted. Independent access means access by public or private roadway or by a defined right of way. Access over adjoining landowners land, or over land which is subject to a lease or rental agreement to another person, is not acceptable.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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775. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who have leased land for solar power and continue to draw down a partial basic payment in relation to the leased land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53504/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Support under the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is payable upon activation of an eligible hectare per payment entitlement.

In general terms, an eligible hectare is one that is used for an agricultural activity or, where the area is also used for a non-agricultural activity, is predominantly used for such activities. An area is predominantly used for agricultural activity, if that activity can be exercised without being significantly hampered by the intensity, nature, duration and timing of the non-agricultural activity.

While cases involving solar panels will be examined on an individual basis, solar panels will be considered as ineligible features within the eligible parcel. In general, parcels or parts of a parcel containing solar panels may be considered eligible, but reductions must be made to the eligible area to take account of the impact of the panels on forage availability. If the effect of the solar panel, including the supporting structures, is to reduce the eligible area by 70% of the parcel or more, then a reduction of 100% is made for the area under the solar panels.

If this is a whole parcel, the parcel is deemed ineligible. If the impact on the eligible area is less than 70% of the parcel area, an appropriate percentage reduction must be made. Appropriate reductions must also be made for other ineligible features within the parcel e.g. scrub, rock or hardcore including roadways.

In all cases, parcels containing solar panels will only be considered eligible where there is evidence that an agricultural activity takes place on the parcel (e.g. grazing with sheep). The solar panels must not hamper the agricultural activity. Such parcels must also comply with relevant Statutory Management Requirements and Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards.

With regard to potential impact on BPS entitlements it is important to note that a farmer must use all entitlements every two years. Therefore, any reductions in eligible area arising from the installation of solar panels may impact the number of entitlements held after two years unless the farmer (a) obtains more land (b) leases out his entitlements, or (c) sells the entitlements.

It is also worth noting that all agricultural land used to claim BPS must be owned/leased/rented and used and managed by the applicant. If the applicant is not the owner of the land, they must have a lease or rental agreement in place with the owner of the land. If a farmer retains ownership of the land, but leases it out to a third party, to install solar panels, the farmer must have a written agreement with the third party, to perform agricultural activities on the parcel concerned, in order for the parcel to be considered eligible.

Such agreements must fulfil the land availability rules set down in the BPS terms and conditions. There must be independent and suitable access for animals for the farming enterprise being conducted. Independent access means access by public or private roadway or by a defined right of way. Access over adjoining landowners land, or over land which is subject to a lease or rental agreement to another person, is not acceptable.

In 2022, eight unique holdings have declared land that contains solar panels. However, it is important to note that the majority of these are very small installations of panels, likely to have been constructed simply to supply power to the agricultural holding. Six of the installations are on lands declared as owned and two rented.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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776. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers who have leased land since 2020 and no longer draw down a basic payment in respect of the leased land; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53505/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested is being retrieved and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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777. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount allocated to the dairy beef calf programme in 2021-2022; the number of applicants; the number of participants; the average payment by year and by county in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53507/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The objective of the National Dairy-Beef calf programme is to support decision-making on farms through better quality data on herd performance, to increase the economic and environmental efficiency of beef from the dairy herd, and to facilitate further the integration of the dairy and beef sectors by providing support for farmers who are rearing progeny from the dairy herd.

It is exchequer funded and was initiated in 2021 with a budget of €5 million. It was retained in 2022, with a €5 million budget, with payments for the 2022 scheme scheduled to commence in December 2022.

Details of payments made under the 2021 scheme and applications for 2022 are set out in the table below. Note that not all farmers who applied for the scheme subsequently went ahead and weighed their Dairy beef calves for the scheme.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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778. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the allocation to beef sustainability schemes in each of the years 2019 to 2023, by scheme and by year in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53508/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The table below details the allocations for specific beef sector schemes from 2019 - 2023. It does not include the exceptional aid schemes in this period €78 million for BEAM (Beef Exceptional Aid Measure) in 2019 and €50 million for the BFP (Beef Finisher Payment scheme) in 2020. It also must be recognised that beef farmers can avail of a range of other schemes under the RDP and the new CAP Strategic Plan.

Beef Schemes overview 2019 – 2023