Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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121. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the plans he has to change the over-representation of females at lower grades within farming bodies and their under-representation at senior positions within these same farming bodies. [61244/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I advise that obviously I have no responsibility for the organisation of representative farm bodies. 

However, the Deputy will be aware gender equality is a key a priority for me and for the Government. It is also a core principle of the European Union, and the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) Regulations place a particular focus on promoting the participation of women in the socio-economic development of rural areas, with special attention to farming.

At a European level the number of women in farming has been slowly increasing. 2016 data suggests that, on average, around 30% of farms across the EU are managed by a woman, but with some considerable differences between Member States. The Census of Agriculture 2020 reported that just 13% of farm holders in Ireland are female.

I am very pleased that, for the first time, Ireland’s new CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) includes specific measures aimed at increasing the participation of women in farming. Ireland’s CSP, which will deliver some €10 billion to farm families over the next five years, includes innovative proposals to promote gender equality, including:

- An increased grant rate of 60% under the Capital Investment Scheme to fund investments by trained women farmers.

- The promotion of women-only Knowledge Transfer Groups.

- Improved recording and reporting of gender data and the leveraging of the National CAP Network to increase the involvement of all women in the implementation of CAP.

- All CAP interventions will be developed with a gender-aware perspective to ensure there are no inherent barriers to women's participation.

- European Innovation Partnerships offer an ideal opportunity for the sector to develop initiatives that will promote women's participation in farming.

In addition, since 2015, the Department has provided support for rural female entrepreneurs under the ACORNS programme. This initiative involves the development and implementation of a tailored programme to support early-stage female entrepreneurs living in rural Ireland.

Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the agri-food sector, recognises the importance of gender equality to its long-term sustainability and includes actions to promote and improve gender balance. In this regard, it should be acknowledged that the farm bodies were active participants in the Committee that developed Food Vision.

Food Vision proposed holding a national dialogue on women in agriculture. I formally launched the conference last week and announced that former Tánaiste and Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, will chair the event on 1 February next year, St Brigid’s Day. The Conference will examine gender equality in farming and the agri-food sector generally and hear the views of women themselves on what more can be done on this important issue. The outcomes of the Conference will feed into future policy in this regard.

While I have no responsibility for the running of farming bodies, I would encourage them to do all they can to ensure there is a strong female representation at all elected positions. 

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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124. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will sanction the continuance of the flying truck in order that non-European Union agricultural products flown into Ireland can continue to be transited and checked at Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61146/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Checks carried out at points of entry to the European Single Market are key to the protection of food safety, animal and plant health, and animal welfare standards in the European Union.

Live animals, animal products, regulated plants, and certain types of foods of non-animal origin are required to be presented for sanitary and phytosanitary checks at the border control post, or BCP, at the first point of entry into the European Union.

The legal basis for these checks is laid down in EU Regulation 2017/625. Like all EU Regulations, EU Regulation 2017/625 is directly implementable in the Member States and as such business operators, and indeed competent authorities, must comply with the rules contained therein.

The rules laid down in Regulation 625 are separate from those provided for in customs legislation. Customs legislation does provide for the transit of consignments under customs control, from one location to another. Operators may apply for permission to operate a so-called ‘flying truck’ transit procedure, once the SPS controls required have been carried out.

To facilitate the checks required by EU Regulation 2017/625, my Department has operated BCPs at three locations since the European Single Market was first created. The locations are Dublin Airport, Dublin Port and Shannon Airport. On foot of the outcome of the Brexit referendum, an assessment was carried out of GB trade flows through ports and airports in Ireland.

On foot of that assessment a decision was taken to expand the BCP at Dublin Airport and Dublin Port, as well as to construct a new BCP at Rosslare Port. These expansions have been key to ensuring trade flows as freely as possible post 1st January2021, when import controls were implemented for all consignments coming from GB.

The expansion of the BCP at Dublin Airport now means that operators who are importing products through Dublin Airport no longer have to transport products by road to the BCP at Shannon and then onwards to the premises of destination.

The controls can now be carried out, before the products leave Dublin Airport, and as such can travel straight from Dublin Airport to the premises of destination. That said, I understand that this does represent a change for businesses that were used to operating in a particular way for a number of years. Officials in my Department are currently engaging with those operators, to understand the business implications and to see what can be done to minimise disruption, within the framework of the legislation. 

The BCP at Shannon Airport remains fully operational and ready to carry out checks on any consignments landing at Shannon Airport.