Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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201. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider including the purchase of fertiliser spreaders in the TAMS scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53809/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There are a wide variety of items available under the suite of seven measures under TAMS. Fertiliser Spreaders are grant aided under the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme, Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme and the Animal Welfare Nutrient and Storage Scheme of TAMSII.

To date, total expenditure under the seven measures of TAMS, including transitional expenditure, has exceeded €389.9 million with commitments of an additional €85 million made to scheme participants who have yet to draw down those grants. Some 51,193 applications have been approved under the scheme.

To date interest in this investment has been very strong with 1,173 farmers receiving approval to purchase fertiliser spreaders and 592 of these have received grant aid in excess of €6.3m.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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202. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if consideration will be given to reviewing the proposed changes to the dairy beef welfare scheme from 2023, wherein the scheme currently rewards farmers rearing progeny from the dairy herd via a payment of €20 per calf weighed, where he is now proposing to change the criteria of the scheme by rewarding dairy farm breeders for using high dairy beef index sires in dairy herds instead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53820/22]

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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203. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason that pedigree stock bulls are to be excluded from the dairy beef welfare scheme from 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53821/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 202 and 203 together.

The Dairy Beef Welfare scheme as part of the new CSP has an annual budget of €5 million and enhances the integration between the dairy and beef systems by improving the value of the dairy beef calf to the beef farmer, and improving the welfare of the calf, by supporting the use of high DBI (dairy beef index) sires in the production of dairy beef calves.

The requirement for a minimum rating of three stars on the DBI does not preclude the use of pedigree sires.

In the case of the beef data and genomics programme (BDGP), the proportion of high indexed sires used by participants from the pedigree herd under the Eurostar index was 97% at the end of the programme according to ICBF. This demonstrates that the pedigree bull remains integral to the development of the national herd in the context of improvement of genetic merit.

The new Dairy Beef Calf Welfare scheme was developed following extensive discussions during the development of the CSP and I am satisfied that the current design represents the optimal strategic support for the dairy beef sector through increasing the value of the dairy beef calf to the beef farmer.