Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 25 Apr 2024

I appreciate that a good chunk of time was taken up yesterday with statements on what the Minister has done to support and assist farmers given the very difficult weather conditions of the past few months. I want to ask specifically about the €100 per hectare payment that he announced for the tillage and horticulture sectors. When will we have more detail on this? Could he advise us on how he came up with the figure of €100 and whom it was agreed with? Who did the Minister hold discussions with to arrive at the figure?

I thank the Deputy for the question. We had a three-hour session here yesterday discussing this very topic. Over the past several weeks, we have all been very conscious of how challenging spring has been for farmers in all sectors, including dry stock, dairy, and tillage farmers. The Government has been very conscious of this and has worked to respond to farmers as challenges have emerged. Thankfully, in the past week we have seen the weather lift and there has been much activity. Animals are being let out onto the ground and we are seeing significant work being done to get crops into the ground.

As the Deputy knows, I have worked closely with the national fodder and feed security committee, which is under the chairmanship of Mike Magan, and have worked with all stakeholders to monitor the situation. We have put in place a pause on inspections up to 22 April to relieve pressure on farmers. Teagasc, through Frank O’Mara, Stan Lalor and their team, was providing support at local level to ensure farmers who were short could source fodder from those who, thankfully, had some to spare. Thankfully, the assessment of the national fodder committee shows there has been enough fodder across the country.

Most recently, following on from the transport subsidy I put in place was the commitment I gave at the recent Fianna Fáil Ard-Fheis to deliver €100 per hectare to all farmers who plant seeds in the soil for harvesting in 2024. That is at a level I feel I will be able to work to identify and secure. The objective is to set a level that will give confidence to farmers that as they go out into the fields, particularly this week, the Government will respond by delivering the support. More risk is associated with yields due to crops having to be harvested later. The funding will have to be identified and secured. It is not funding that was in my most recent budget and there are no plans for a mini-budget, but I, as Minister, have given the commitment to farmers that I will deliver on the funding and work over the months ahead to secure it. It was important that farmers got the commitment in advance of being able to get into the fields to give them the confidence to go ahead with planting.

Those in both the tillage and horticulture sectors will be wondering when they will get the funding. This is really important. While those in the sectors are beginning to plant and sow seeds now and will continue to do so in the coming weeks, they will need to know when the financial support will be available to them.

I am sure the Minister has heard the critique from the grain growers and the IFA of the €100. Did the Minister engage with the sector when coming up with the figure of €100? I appreciate there are limitations and that the Minister now has to go to the Department of public expenditure to seek the funding, but what are really important are the publication of the details of the scheme, engagement with the sector and information on when the €100 per hectare will be made available. I am sure the Minister is anxious to get it out to farmers, but if any certainty can be given to them when they are planning what they are going to sow, it will be helpful. They are under financial pressure. When can they expect to see the payment?

I have given the commitment to secure and deliver the funding. Although I have not yet received the funds, it was really important, given the pressure the sector was under, to provide clarity on what support would be forthcoming from the Government. I have been engaging on an ongoing basis this very long spring with all farm representative organisations, and also those in the tillage sector. I was very aware of the growing pressure on the sector and the need for intervention in advance of the planting to give confidence. Over the months ahead, I will have to identify the funding. It was really important before seeds were put in the soil, and to ensure we would see crops sown, for me, as Minister, to give additional confidence to farmers regarding what would be available to them.

At the end of the harvest last year, after the really difficult autumn, we intervened to provide support. I secured in last year’s budget compensation of €1,000 per hectare for unharvested crops and €50 per hectare for all tillage crops in light of the difficult year and harvest. I have now moved to commit to €100 per hectare for all in the tillage sector. It will be for all field-grown crops, apart from the protein crops, which will have a separate and much larger payment, as in previous years.

Does the Minister intend to reinstate the fodder scheme to help compensate farmers for the financial losses they are facing due to the particularly wet conditions this spring? Will there be flexibility and will consideration be given to farmers who are struggling to meet the stipulated three-crop rule due to very difficult weather and ground conditions? Will he make a statement on the matter?

As stated in reply to the previous question, this has been a really challenging spring. We have worked to support the farming community through it with the fodder transport measure. Teagasc has been working at local level to provide support to farmers to ensure they can get supplies where they were running short. The fodder support measure was a really important one last year. It was crucial in ensuring we had sufficient fodder supplies in the country this year to deal with the unprecedentedly long winter. In many cases, there has been a housing period of up to seven months, starting last September and lasting until this week.

Particularly given the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the challenges it led to in respect of supply chains and the increases in fertiliser costs last year and the year before, I stepped in to ensure we could help to relieve some of the costs for farmers last year to ensure the maximum amount of fodder would be grown, precisely to ensure we would have enough in the event of a long winter and a long housing period such as we have had. Thankfully, that has meant that we have had enough fodder in the country to deal with the situation. That was important.

The funding last year was exceptional and based on the fact that prices, particularly of fertiliser, were exceptionally high as a result of what was happening in international markets.

It was similar to the support the Government provided by means of the exceptional response funding we put in place in respect of the situation in Ukraine, such as for household electricity and energy costs and one-off supports for families through social welfare. We also delivered supports across the economy. In the agriculture sector, that support was provided by means of the fodder scheme. Thankfully, we have seen fertiliser prices drop significantly, although they are still higher than what the long-term average would have been, but I believe much of the pressure has been relieved. We will work to support and advise farmers. We will work with the national fodder committee and Teagasc to make sure the stocks are replenished and that everyone has enough supply for next winter and spring.

I am extremely concerned and I am sure the Minister is too. The adverse conditions have been really bad. There have been serious concerns around livestock and tillage. The Minister knows the spring crops such as barley have not been sown yet, even in County Louth, which is normally a very dry county. I ask the Minister again if he intends to reinstate the fodder schemes. There has been adverse weather which has affected livestock. People are struggling. There is extreme hardship. I do not come from a farming background but in County Louth and east Meath, there are many farmers. They seem to be annoyed that the Government has not come out and given them any support. Looking at them, with the number of regulations from the EU and even the local county council, the money they are getting from grants has not been increased for a long time. They are looking for a bit of help to help put food on the table. Will the Minister reinstate it or not?

This Government has been very responsive and supported farmers in times of need and in the medium to long term, by means of significant investment. The CAP, which will run up to 2027, offers 50% higher funding. That is a record increase in Government funding. Over the past two or three years, where sectors have been under pressure, be it the pig sector, the horticulture sector or the tillage sector last autumn and this spring, we have worked to support them. One of those supports was to the livestock sector last year. The year before, we provided €1,000 per family farm for the making of fodder. I was concerned because of the historically high prices of fertilisers that farmers might try to cut it tight and just make enough or in some cases take a risk by not having an excess supply in place. That is why I had it in place last year.

This year, I have committed funding to the tillage sector. The latter is the sector that is most under pressure. We have also committed additional funding to the sheep sector this year through the delivery of doubled support of an extra €20 per sheep. There are not plans for a fodder scheme this year, specifically because we have seen a significant drop in fertiliser prices compared with last year. We will work and provide the advisory support and co-ordination capacity to make sure that all in the sector now respond to make sure that fodder supplies are fully replenished for next year and indeed that stocks are strong to be able to withstand the type of long winter that we have seen over the past winter.

Is it true that Ireland received €1.6 billion in pillar 1 funding from the EU? That figure is effectively the same as it was ten years ago, despite significant inflation. The Minister mentioned that fertiliser, diesel and so on have gone up in price. Farmers are really struggling. I am a spokesperson for them. Everything has been put on hold for the past number of months. Farmers are being asked to do so much with so little money. They have often told me there is no additional support for farmers with CAP payments being repurposed for environmental measures. The money they are getting is being diverted to other things. These farmers are pleading with the Minister for a bit of help. We are having very unusual weather. I know the Minister helped them last year. They are also looking for a bit of help this year because everything is so expensive. I plead with the Minister to reinstate the measure in question, particularly as every other Department seems to be giving out money. These farmers do a fantastic job to put food on people's tables. The Minister mentioned Ukraine and everything else. These people just need a bit of help. Even families are actually getting out of farming. Will the Minister please help by reinstating the measure?

We are working to provide support. That is our track record. The Deputy is correct about pillar 1 payments at European level. The CAP budget at European level has been static from the previous CAP to this one. We are one of the 27 member states which is constantly pushing to maintain and increase it but of course 27 member states have to agree to the decision, so it has been static. That means it has eroded in real terms.

CAP is co-funded, so we also bring funding to the table as a national Government. We have shown our stripes in that regard because we have delivered record funding for the CAP through the national co-funding because we have increased it by €1 billion or 50% compared with what was there before, which is much higher than ever before. That means, for example, that I have been able to deliver €200 per suckler cow, which is the highest payment there has ever been. This year, for the first time ever, we will deliver €20 per sheep, which is double what was there a couple of years ago. For the first time ever, I have accepted everyone into the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES. That was 50% higher funding in ACRES, the largest ever scheme. That is because this Government has put money in there. I am also making a commitment to the tillage sector - the sector that is most under pressure - for the coming year. Obviously, it is not unlimited. However, we are working in every way we can to support the farming sector as much as possible.

When will the Minister publish the action plan and strategy for ash dieback? It is now seven months since the independent review was published. Farmers affected by ash dieback in particular, of whom I have met many, are on their knees. I have never met a group of farmers so down, depressed and worried, yet the action plan is nowhere to be seen. Every reply I get states that it will be in the near future. Farmers cannot wait. Will the Minister please give us an update on when we will see that action plan?

I thank Deputy Kerrane for the question. Since the first finding of ash dieback in Ireland in 2012, my Department has introduced reconstitution schemes to restore forests planted under the afforestation scheme which had suffered from or which were associated with plants affected by disease. A total of €10 million has been expended to date on these schemes, which includes a grant for site clearance as well as replanting.

In July of last year, my Department launched the latest of these schemes, the reconstitution scheme for ash dieback, under the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027 with enhanced features, including a 100% increase in the site clearance grant rate, enhanced replanting grant rates under the programme, and, for those in receipt of farmer rate of premium, a single top-up premium equal to the difference between the equivalent forestry type and the existing premium will be paid for the remaining years left in premium.

Also last year, I tasked an independent group to review existing Department supports for ash dieback. The group's remit was to review the existing and previous supports available to landowners with ash forests, as funded under the national forestry programme, and to engage with relevant stakeholders to seek their views on the current supports for ash forest owners. The group presented its report in September with 13 recommendations covering a diverse range of issues. In response to this report, I will be bringing a detailed ash dieback action plan to Cabinet for approval in the very near future. This will outline comprehensive actions by my Department to deal with the issue of ash dieback. Detailed deliberations are currently taking place to ensure an efficient, appropriate and proportionate response. Further, a subgroup of the forestry strategy consultative committee has been established and will meet shortly to address ash. This group will work as a task force to ensure a greater level of engagement and action on ash dieback and other forest health matters.

My Department continues to issue approvals under the reconstitution scheme. Reconstitution scheme approvals have issued for around 2,000 ha in the past six months and applications for a further 1,500 ha are currently being processed, demonstrating increased demand for this scheme.

It really is not good enough to keep using the phrase "the very near future". I have been getting that in replies for months. It has been seven months. I met with farmers in Galway a number of weeks ago. I met some in Wexford two weeks ago. They are broken. They put significant work into the plantations and they are dying. They are being left. It has been years and they are waiting for supports. To say that it will happen in the very near future is just not good enough. Seven months ago, that independent review group told us nothing we did not know already. That wasted months and months. It did its report and fair play to it. Its conclusion was that this is an emergency. It is now seven months later and farmers are still waiting. The new forestry programme will not go anywhere if we do not get farmers' buy-in. That is not happening. Confidence in that programme is extremely low.

If we do not solve the issue of ash dieback, I will not blame a single farmer for not looking to join the forestry programme. This is an emergency and we need to know what the Minister of State means when she refers to the very near future.

I accept people’s frustration. They have been waiting a long time, but it is important that we get this right. This is not just a decision for me to make in my Department. Rather, it requires engagement across the Government, in particular with the Department of public expenditure.

In the meantime, and as I have stated repeatedly, it is important that the farmers affected by ash dieback who wish to engage with the reconstitution scheme do so now. They need to get that done. It is essential that those trees be cleared before we plant any new ones. We have seen a significant number of farmers engaging with the scheme. They will not be disadvantaged when we finally get agreement on the plan. I assure the House that we are incredibly close, but we have to get it right. I accept people’s frustration and that it has been too long a time, but we are doing everything we can to get this right.

The Minister of State is asking those affected to use the reconstitution scheme, but we all know what the independent review thought about that scheme, namely that it was insufficient. In fact, the review went much further than that in its criticism of the scheme. Why would we ask farmers and others affected to avail of a scheme that, following examination, has been found to be insufficient?

It has been seven months. Farmers and others affected are on their knees. They need support now. Their frustration only grows when they hear a phrase such as “the very near future”. The Minister of State mentioned that detailed deliberations were happening, but when was the last meeting in that regard?

I assure the Deputy that meetings on this issue are happening every day in order to get it over the line and get it right.

The independent review group did good work. The Deputy made some disparaging comments about its work-----

That was not quite fair. We doubled the clearance rate grant. One of the recommendations was that we increase that.

The reconstitution scheme is the first step towards any support that might be put in place for farmers. They have to go through this step. There is no point in waiting; people will just be further down the list. That is why I have been forceful in encouraging farmers in this regard. The scheme is the first door they must go through, and if they do not, they will have to wait until later to do so. The reconstitution scheme needs to be engaged with because those trees need to be cleared before we can replant on that land.

Over the past five years, my Department's business needs have grown significantly. In 2018, its workforce totalled 3,336 staff. The Department has increased its staffing numbers considerably since then in order to ensure that we meet our commitment to deliver a quality service to all in the agricultural community and to all other citizens who depend on my Department for overseeing food production and standards. The total number of employees at the end of 2022 was 3,922. This figure rose throughout 2023, culminating in a staffing complement of 4,007 by the end of the year, representing an increase of almost 700 staff members in a five-year period. Currently, we employ a workforce of 4,017 staff.

No. At the end of last year, it was 4,007. The current number is up ten on that, although it is similar.

Our payroll budget is just over €250 million per year. This finances our salary and allowance costs for the full year of 2024.

While my Department has not issued an embargo on staffing, as is borne out by the numbers employed and the figures on which I have given the Deputy, we are obliged to manage our resourcing within budgetary constraints. The Department remains committed to continuing to do this throughout 2024. Importantly, my Department recognises the requirement to strategically apply its staffing resources while considering departmental and broader governmental priorities. We continually navigate the reality of balancing our workforce resources with maintaining financial sustainability and delivering operational efficiencies.

Our workforce is at an historic high, but we must manage it within our budget. We will continue doing that over the course of the year.

I thank the Minister for his reply. As he may be aware, new conditions are coming in from Europe every year. The export of slurry is an example. Obviously, such new conditions require resources, as do the various schemes that the Minister introduces. What I am hearing from inside the Department is that people are being told that, if they are short staffed, then they will not get new staff until someone in the Department retires. This might not officially count as an embargo, but it is an embargo.

I wish to address something that is causing concern. I understand that a lairage in Dublin is to close while a lairage will open in the west to handle cattle for export. Resources will be required in that regard.

While this does not have to do with the Department’s staff directly, there is a problem with abattoirs. Councils are saying they have not received an allocation from the FSAI through the Department. This is causing a major problem for the small abattoir sector.

Local authorities play a role in providing services to some small abattoirs. Generally, there can be challenges with the availability of vets in various parts of the country, but my Department is committed to ensuring that this service is properly resourced and companies are facilitated as necessary and to working with local authorities, which have a role in respect of small abattoirs.

In the past five years, the Department’s staffing levels have increased by 700. Today, we are at a record number. However, we must stay within our overall budget, so we are restricted from increasing continuously. We must also ensure that resources are allocated in a way that delivers our services in a way that makes maximum use of them.

For the Minister's information, there is fierce confusion among small abattoirs about the so-called new legislation that is under discussion. Councils are basically washing their hands of abattoirs and say that, since they do not have the resources, they will not go near them. One council has actually refused to help. The Minister is well aware of that situation. I have submitted a formal request that the head person in the Department’s veterinary section meet us, and I hope that request will be granted, but I ask the Minister to take an interest in what is happening with small abattoirs. There seems to be a shift under way whereby we want all the big abattoirs going well. Look at the number of small abattoirs we have lost in recent years. All that councils will say is that there is a rolling contract for a few months and then the Department will take it over. We have been hearing that for ages.

The problem is that there is collateral damage. Abattoirs are now under serious pressure because certain licences are not being granted. I ask the Minister to take an interest in that over the coming months.

I certainly will take an interest in that. It is something I am very committed to because I want to see our small abattoirs being supported. I know we have seen a significant change in the landscape over the past decade or two in relation to the number of abattoirs in the country. There has been significant consolidation, but I want to ensure the services that small abattoirs need are provided to them. For most of the small abattoirs, veterinary services are supplied through the local authority vets. My Department, working with the Food Safety Authority, has a role in this. It also works with the local authorities. There have been additional challenges since the application of the Brexit veterinary health certification requirements. Everyone has worked hard to respond to that and make sure those resources are in place. That is something I have been monitoring closely and will continue to do so they are able to adjust to that. There have been some challenges there, but we are trying to make sure they are worked through and the supports and backup that are needed are in place.