Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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464. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the horticultural exceptional payment scheme (HEPS) will be opened for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32590/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Horticulture Exceptional Payment Scheme (HEPS) was a support measure introduced in 2022 with a budget of €2.8 million. The Scheme was launched as part of a package of support measures announced by the EU Commission providing for exceptional adjustment aid to producers in the agricultural sectors.

HEPS provided a once-off payment to growers in those horticulture sub-sectors most affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The subsectors at most risk and included under the Scheme included commercial growers in the glasshouse high-wire crops, field vegetable, mushroom and apple sectors.

My Department continues to support the horticulture industry in Ireland with a range of measures. The National Exchequer funded 2023 Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Horticulture Sector has an increased budget of €10 million and is currently open for applications. The 2023 Scheme of Investment Aid for Energy Efficiency, Automation and Processing for Commercial Mushroom Producers and the 2023 Scheme of Investment Aid for Commercial Non-Primary Producers in the Mushroom Sector and for Peat Replacement by Commercial Mushroom Producers are two Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) funded schemes which are currently open for applications with a total budget of €5 million. The BAR funded 2023 Scheme of Investment Aid for the Seed Potato Sector and Chipping Potato Sector has a budget of €1.5 million to help develop these sectors. The EU funded Producer Organisation scheme for fruit and vegetables delivered €4.2 million in aid for the industry in 2022. Similar levels of aid will be payable for 2023 activities.

To address some of the challenges being faced across the horticulture sectors, the recently published National Strategy for Horticulture 2023-2027 identified eight Key Strategic Actions the implementation of which aim to support the long term viability of the horticulture industry.

My Department continues to engage with the sector in relation to current challenges.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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465. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications to the horticultural exceptional payment scheme (HEPS) in 2022; the number of successful applications and the number refused; the average payment made under HEPS in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32591/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Horticulture Exceptional Payment Scheme (HEPS) was a support measure introduced in 2022 with a budget of €2.8 million. The Scheme was launched as part of a package of support measures announced by the EU Commission providing for exceptional adjustment aid to producers in the agricultural sectors.

HEPS provided a once-off payment to growers in those horticulture sub-sectors most affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The subsectors at most risk and included under the Scheme included commercial growers in the glasshouse high-wire crops, field vegetable, mushroom and apple sectors.

A total of 149 applications were received under the Horticultural Exceptional Payment Scheme (HEPS) in 2022. 134 applicants received payment under the Scheme with the remaining 15 being deemed ineligible for payment for varying reasons. Payments to growers in the sectors of high-wire crops, field vegetables and apples were made on an area basis (per hectare) for crops grown in 2022. For mushrooms, payments were calculated on the level of mushrooms sold and were based on the quantity (weight in kilograms) of mushrooms sold over the period from 1 January 2022 to 30 April 2022.

The average payment on a per sector basis is outlined in the table below.