Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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403. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for the provision of supports addressing high production costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28756/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Government and I are acutely aware of the difficulties facing family farms and small businesses and I have already put supports in place to ensure their ongoing viability when needed.

Our farms and the wider agri-food sector have demonstrated their adaptability and resilience in the face of significant challenges in recent years, continuing to deliver safe and nutritious food for Irish and international markets. Several measures have provided considerable support to the agri-food sector in this regard, particularly in response to elevated farm input prices. For example, this has included the Fodder Support Scheme; the Tillage Incentive Scheme; Multi-Species Swards and Red Clover Silage Measures; the Horticulture Crisis Fund; and the Soil Sampling and Analysis Programme.

My Department monitors information on farms and the wider agri-food sector, in collaboration with Teagasc and the Central Statistics Office (CSO), on an ongoing basis. This includes the monthly Agricultural Output and Input Price Indices published by the CSO, which monitor trends in prices paid to farmers for their produce and prices paid by farmers for purchases of goods and services. While the input price index remained elevated throughout 2022, it has now moderated. In addition, the output price index has trended upwards in recent months. In April 2024, the overall Agricultural Output Price Index stood at 37.9% above its 2020 reference level, while the equivalent figure for the Agricultural Input Price Index was 28.1% by comparison.

I will continue to support our family farms, including through implementation of Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan which will deliver some €9.8 billion to Irish farm families in the period to 2027. I look forward to continuing to work with all the agri-food stakeholders in delivering its Food Vision 2030 ambitions.