Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions
88. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on his plan to save the fishing and seafood industry from the impact of the proposed devastating cuts to the mackerel, blue whiting and boarfish quotas; and the financial aid that will be provided to the affected businesses and workers. [54988/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Minister of State and I had an extensive engagement at the fisheries committee earlier today. These proposals are devastating. There is a 70% cut to the recommended mackerel total allowable catch, TAC, 41% for blue whiting and 22% for boarfish while a zero TAC is recommended for cod, haddock and whiting. I would like to engage with the Minister of State on the Government's plan.
I know the Deputy has a significant interest in this area. He has been in regular contact with me about the matter. As he will know, on 30 September, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea published its advice for widely distributed pelagic stocks for 2026. The ICES advice forms the basis of the scientific advice used by the European Commission in proposing total allowable catches and informs the EU's negotiating position for consultations with third countries such as the UK. As the Deputy has identified, the advice suggests a reduction of 70% for mackerel, 41% for blue whiting and 22% for boarfish. The scale of the reduction in the ICES-recommended total allowable catches for these important pelagic stocks is deeply concerning and will impact significantly on the Irish seafood sector.
Ireland has repeatedly raised the overfishing of mackerel by some coastal states outside the EU over recent years. I will continue to highlight this critical issue for our fishermen and fisherwomen and to engage intensively with the European Commissioner for fisheries and other member states on possible actions to protect our stocks.
I met with concerned fishermen and fisherwomen in Killybegs on Sunday, 5 October, to hear their concerns regarding the advice. Last week, I met with relevant stakeholder groups as part of the annual sustainability impact assessment process. I also attended the committee today to discuss the same issue. That meeting with stakeholders provided a further opportunity to discuss the scientific advice and other challenges facing the sector. The Deputy knows those other challenges because he has identified them. The sustainability impact assessment, which involves a public consultation process along with expert contributions from the Marine Institute and Bord Iascaigh Mhara, BIM, is an essential step in Ireland’s preparation for the fishing opportunity negotiations. I presented the assessment to the Oireachtas joint committee today.
The programme for Government emphasises the valuable role of fisheries in the future of our country and the communities that rely on this activity for their livelihood. I will be engaging further with stakeholders at this critical time to ensure their interests are robustly represented at domestic, European and international level. I assure the Deputy that I am committed to working closely across Government Departments to assess what supports may be available to the seafood sector in the context of EU state aid rules and within the constraints of both EU and national Exchequer funding. To this end, I have had initial discussions with the EU Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
As he was coming before the committee, the Minister of State will not have had a chance to hear the contributions from the fish producer organisations and the representative of the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association. In all of my time, I have never seen it worse. I have been in politics for 23.5 years, representing the fishing communities around me. In all those years, I have never seen a worse situation presented. The term "economic Armageddon" was used today. Every single witness said this is the worst scenario they could ever have thought of. Why is that? Over 1 million tonnes - I had to read that again to make sure I was right - of mackerel above what was recommended in the scientific advice have been caught. Unbelievable recklessness and greed have led us to this. It has to stop. Those parties, whether corporations based in the European Union or in other countries, have to stop. They have to pay a price and we need to find a solution to save our industry.
The Deputy is right. Over the past five years, 1 million tonnes more than advised was caught. If you go back over ten years, I believe it would be 2 million. It has been consistent. The Union has accepted it and, as a result, we are seeing destruction prevail. The word "Armageddon" has been used and it is hard not to accept that when you consider the impact on Ireland, particularly with regard to pelagic stock and the loss of 26% of our mackerel quota in the Brexit negotiations. Those negotiations were difficult and had a very significant negative impact. Last year, we had a 20% cut in our mackerel quota based on scientific advice. These two losses combined were significant. This year, the remainder is to be cut by 70%. In my view, it is not an exaggeration to use the word "Armageddon". It is a clear reality. The responsibility on Government now is to move quickly to secure what we can at European level at the December meeting of the Council and to determine how best to give direction to the sector as to how we are going to manage the allocation of the quota with Norway. We can then look at what supports are available within the significant restraints imposed by state aid rules. I look forward to working with the Deputy and others on this matter.
This has to be the moment where everything changes. This has to be a radical reset of the operation of the Common Fisheries Policy. The policy talks about climate change, sustainability and those communities closest to fisheries benefiting from them. We need to expose how all of that amounts to nothing. This is apparently four times worse than what happened to us after Brexit. Brexit was an absolute disaster for our fishing communities. That is why the Brexit adjustment reserve fund was put in place. We are going to need to fight for the maximum amount of fish but we also need to look at the whole Common Fisheries Policy and this relative stability whereby it stays the same every year and nothing changes. People are looking at our waters and we are just not getting our fair share of fish. There has to be a reaction to deal with the utter failure of the European Commission to deal with some of those most reckless actions in the history of fishing. It is unbelievably stupid and self-defeating to wreck a precious fishery like mackerel, which belongs to all of us, from the spawning grounds off the west of Ireland right up those Atlantic coasts. The level of greed and recklessness is off the scale. They have to pay a price. It has to stop. This has to lead to a change in our approach to the whole issue of the Common Fisheries Policy.
As the Deputy will know, a review of the Common Fisheries Policy has been initiated. That may lead to changes in time. The issue of Norway's unilateral grab of quota certainly has to be prosecuted outside of the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, DG MAREm and the discussions around fish quotas. It is often raised with me by those within the sector that, where mackerel is used as a feedstock for the production of fishmeal, it finds its way back into the European market through tariff-free salmon from Norway. That is anathema to how we should be managing our resources. Wider discussions will have to take place across various different directorates. I know colleagues are discussing this issue at Government level. We need to come forward with a whole-of-government response rather than a response from the silo of fisheries alone.
89. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will commit to developing and implementing a comprehensive resilience and recovery plan now to ensure that rural and agricultural communities are protected when the next major storm occurs (details supplied). [55112/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraStorm Éowyn exposed significant vulnerabilities in our national preparedness and recovery systems. Rural Irish communities endured prolonged power and communications outages while many small family-run farms were excluded from State supports due to restrictive eligibility criteria. We cannot continue to respond reactively to such crises.
Will the Minister commit to developing and implementing a comprehensive resilience and recovery plan now to ensure rural and agricultural communities are protected when the next major storm event happens?
I thank the Deputy for raising what is an important issue. In the aftermath of Storm Éowyn, the Government increased its focus on storm preparedness and building resilience. My Department has been contributing to an extensive review of the whole-of-government response to the storm. The review, co-ordinated by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is examining all aspects of the response with a view to identifying key lessons across all sectors.
A steering group and two subgroups, on humanitarian assistance and on critical infrastructure and essential services, have been formed, with membership drawn from across Departments, utility and energy suppliers, principal response agencies, the transport sector and local authorities. It is expected that the review will be brought to the Government shortly. The recommendations from the review will feed into the work already under way across government to bolster our preparedness for severe weather events.
A number of measures were introduced by my Department to assist those impacted by Storm Éowyn. The targeted reopening of the 2025 scheme of investment aid for the development of the commercial horticulture sector was facilitated to deal only with growers proposing investments in response to the storm damage. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, was actively involved in this.
A three-week tranche of the targeted agriculture modernisation scheme 3, TAMS 3, was opened in March to support farmers after Storm Éowyn, providing grant aid for backup power-take-off, PTO, generators and other equipment. The scheme supports new installations and will help farmers to become more resilient to future weather events by supporting investment in equipment that can restore power quickly after storms.
I visited affected farms in the Leitrim area in the immediate aftermath of Storm Éowyn. This was in my first few days as Minister for agriculture. I saw at first hand a dairy farm that had its power lines flattened by wind-blown trees from a plantation nearby. The farmer was able to continue to operate because of a PTO-driven generator. I recognised the importance of this and knew we needed to support more farmers to get these generators in the future. This was one of a number of practical responses.
I appreciate the Minister’s response in regard to horticulture, but I want to return to the reality facing many small farmers after Storm Éowyn. These people are on modest incomes, with nothing in reserve, yet they are central to food production and rural life. Many of them suffered genuine damage, including polytunnels torn apart and crops lost, yet they could not insure those structures, nor did they qualify for many State supports. They were effectively left to rebuild on their own despite being among the most vulnerable in the agriculture sector.
I am asking that future recovery and resilience planning explicitly include smaller family farms to ensure that when the next storm hits, they are not left behind. Can we have targeted supports for horticulture in particular and a dedicated mechanism that recognises and protects these vital small producers who keep our rural communities alive? I welcome what the Minister said in this regard. He is thinking along the same lines.
Absolutely. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, and I intervened with emergency supports for the horticulture and forestry sectors. The measures I introduced under TAMS and to change the rules around TAMS were all in response to what was an absolutely seismic weather event. It is really important that we learn from it because we know that, with climate change, we are likely to see more of these events. Although they feel like they arise once in a generation, unfortunately we have to prepare for the fact that they are going to become commonplace, and that is why the Deputy’s question was very well placed. It is about learning from these events. The scale of the damage to our forestry estate alone was enormous, as the Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, will tell the Deputy. This is why grant aid is available under TAMS 3 for stand-alone solar water pumps and solar fencing, which operate off grid, allowing operation during power outages. This is another example of a practical intervention we are supporting to improve off-grid resilience should farmers be affected by a loss of power over a sustained period.
I appreciate the support. I might, in the future, talk to the Minister about this outside the Chamber. I thank him.
I thank the Deputy.
I have one last point. To ensure farmers are more resilient in advance of weather events, I have announced plans to introduce grant support under TAMS for the replacement of roofs. Up to now, TAMS covered only new structures. A farmer could not modify an existing structure under it. Subject to appropriate professional analysis confirming that a storm-damaged structure is sound and that it is only the roof that has blown off, a TAMS grant will cover the replacement. That avoids having to knock a perfectly good shed instead of just replacing the purlins of the roof. This is another practical measure. In the past, we did not believe we would have to introduce it. We did not think these storms would be so ferocious. This confirms the reasons farmers are taking so many steps to reduce emissions and contribute to climate resilience, but we need to be practical about the impact storms will have. That is why I thank the Deputy for this question. I look forward to working with him on this in the future.
90. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on his recent meetings with his EU counterparts in relation to the next CAP at the AGRIFISH Council meeting in Brussels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54989/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI want to ask about the CAP negotiations, the recent meetings the Minister has had with his EU counterparts on the progress we hope to see that will result in a new CAP being put in place in the next couple of years, and what it will mean for Irish farmers. As the Minister is aware, there is considerable concern over the extent of the cuts. The CAP is vital to ensuring Irish farmers have a base level of support. It is absolutely necessary to maintain that. Could the Minister elaborate on the progress made?
I thank the Deputy for raising this point. Of all the big issues we are dealing with and will discuss in this House, be it the budget just passed or all the other challenges, nothing is as central as the CAP, because it sets out the framework for the seven years beyond 2027. At the most recent Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting, held in Brussels in September 2025, I took the opportunity to outline that the proposed governance and structure of the post-2027 multi-annual financial framework, MFF, or the overall European budget, represents a major change in how the CAP will operate, with national and regional partnership plans, NRPPs, replacing the existing two-pillar model, which has worked so well for the Irish farming system for so long. I emphasised that the CAP must remain a policy that works in practice – one that delivers stability and predictability for farmers while remaining manageable for national administrations. We do not want loads of resources to be used for the administration of the schemes; we want appropriate simplification of administration, which benefits the farmers. We also want appropriate simplification for farmers in real terms, which previous CAPs have failed to deliver despite the best of intentions.
The failure was not deliberate, but in Brussels since January I have seen that things that the best of intentions would lead people to believe are simplified can be very different in practice. What suits one country may not suit another and that is why elements of subsidiarity and national flexibility are very important. This is why I highlighted the need for sufficient flexibility at member state level to design schemes suited to their own agrifood systems, while preserving the integrity of the CAP as a common EU policy. We do not want to lose commonality or to have member states competing with each other, with all the associated state-aid implications. Undermining the common element of the CAP will actually undermine the genuine benefit Irish farmers have got from being part of the Common Market. On the other side, we need flexibility that leads to the recognition that farming in Ireland is very different from that in Slovakia, Slovenia or Spain in many instances. We need flexibility in the design.
I will have more points to make in response to the supplementary questions.
We are all very conscious of the proposal on the table whereby we face a 22% cut in respect of the CAP. That will have a very serious effect on Irish agriculture in addition to the entire food sector and farm families. The vast majority of our food is produced by small farm families the length and breadth of the country who depend on their CAP payments to remain sustainable. We have had decent prices recently, in fairness. This is attributable to supply and demand and the fluctuations in the market, but for years, many farmers would say it was the other way around in that they were producing food and not getting a good price for it. They had to struggle. I have always said that the best way farmers can make money is to have a decent price for their produce. At the moment, they are getting a decent price but it is very much at the whim of the market. They need to ensure there is a base in place. The removal of the two pillars is very dangerous. Many farm organisations and farmers are very concerned that it could mean that much of the money ring-fenced in the past for agriculture could be raided for other purposes. That is what we need to ensure does not happen.
I concur. It comes down to brass tacks, or money, and that is why I stress the budget dimension is of central importance. I stressed this to Commissioner Hansen. I welcome his efforts in securing a €296 billion ring-fenced EU-wide CAP envelope.
This is a significant achievement in the context of there being no commitments to ring fencing beforehand. It has been very clear there was not going to be ring fencing. To get a specific amount ring-fenced, not just a percentage but €296 billion, was a significant achievement. Ireland's indicative allocation of €8.16 billion represents a significant reduction from the current €10.7 billion. This is a substantial change and one that raises concerns around maintaining an effective level of support for farmers and rural communities. The Deputy is right that we do not want to be going back to national envelopes and having fights nationally. I am really clear that we need to fight for more money for this in Europe as a starting point and that is something I am really keen to do.
While I agree, at the same time, we need to recognise - I brought this point up at a meeting in Brussels recently attended by Commissioner Hansen - that this has the difficulty of undermining people's confidence in the EU itself. The vast majority of people across the length and breadth of this country have done well out of the European Union, as have the vast majority of farmers from the perspective that they have been able to expand and grow their farm and have good markets for their produce. Now, though, they see that the CAP budget, which in the 1980s was about 70% of the EU budget, is now down to less than 30% of it. This is a major problem because it is being pushed back all the time. We need to stand firm on the need for Irish farmers and agriculture to have a decent CAP that will make payments to them.
I know it is premature to suggest the national budget could be used at this stage to ensure farmers maintain their income and have those supports in place. We need to see an indication given to farming communities that the Government will not let them down and that payments will not reduce, regardless of what we end up with from the negotiations. A lot of farmers are very concerned that, in the coming years, they will not get the level of support they had in the past. I will ask a question later about farm regeneration and young farmers coming into the field. They are not going to do so if there is not a sustainable future. The CAP is an absolute priority in making sure that future can be sustainable.
In my first nine months in the job, I hope I have demonstrated that I have good, sharp elbows. In my recent budget negotiations, I secured a 9% increase on the Department of agriculture's overall allocation, whereas the summer economic statement indicated that the overall increase in Government spending would be only 6%. I think the Department has received the second largest percentage increase in current allocations compared with last year's budget. I have, therefore, demonstrated an ability to put forward a credible plan, look for money and get it for the right reasons. That is possible when you have a clear plan, as I have around bovine TB, supporting the tillage scheme, generational renewal and the need to support our ACRES farmers and others who have also been through a rough time.
Similarly, at this point, my focus here is on fighting for more money in Europe. I will have sharp elbows there if we are fighting to get money out of a national pot, but we do not want to be in that space. Ireland is a net contributor to the overall EU budget and 75% of the receipts we get back from Europe have come through the CAP. If we lose that and if there is a reduction in what we get back from the CAP, there will be a reduction for the Exchequer overall and the taxpayer will lose because we will get less money coming back in. I am not willing to leave that money behind me. Ireland will have the Presidency of the EU from next July and, God willing, if I am still there, my role as president of the AGRIFISH Council will give us a great opportunity to build alliances with our European partners and to fight for more money at a European level for the Common Agricultural Policy.
92. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on his plans to implement the recommendations in the report for generational renewal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54990/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI will get straight to it. I ask the Minister about generational renewal, the implementation of the report on this issue, and if he will make a statement on the issue. Recommendations in this regard were announced during the ploughing championships and people want certainty on it. One of the biggest issues we hear about when we talk to farmers is what the future will hold and if future generations will take on farms, continue farming and be able to expand, grow and if they will see a future in farming. It is vital that we have clarity on this issue.
I agree that this is one of the key issues of our time. It is also the key stressor for older farmers who may not have an identified successor or who may have more than one identified successor and only one farm. There are many challenges in that space. I do not say that light-heartedly. It genuinely is a big cause of stress and concern. Obviously, the next generation who want to farm want that certainty as well to allow them to make very big life decisions.
The programme for Government prioritises "supporting inter-generational farm succession". A number of supports for generational renewal are currently available to farmers under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027. These supports are complemented by a suite of strong national taxation measures and access to finance supports, as well as advisory and education and training supports. Farm succession is a complex issue and many different and competing factors are involved that impact farmers’ decisions. This includes young, trained farmers coming in or that older generation looking to pass on the farm to the next generation in a planned way.
The commission on generational renewal in farming was established to examine these issues. The commission has produced a thorough analysis and made 31 recommendations across a wide range of areas, including CAP supports, pensions, taxation, access to finance, access to land, collaborative arrangements, advisory services, education and training, gender balance and the overall attractiveness of the sector. The recent budget takes the first steps towards addressing the commission’s recommendations, with a view to supporting the next generation of farmers.
Taxation policy is primarily the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, and I work closely with him on taxation issues relating to the agrifood sector. That is why I am pleased that we agreed that agricultural relief will remain available to farm families to facilitate succession and the intergenerational transfer of farms, and that we agreed to the renewal of 100% young trained farmer stamp duty relief. In line with the commission’s recommendation to bring more certainty to succession planning, the relief will be extended by four years instead of the normal three years for such measures. Four years is the maximum period possible under state aid rules.
As I said, we are all conscious of this issue. At the moment, I think 4.3% of farmers are aged under 35. The average age is 60 in Irish agriculture, so there is a clear problem here. It has often been the case that the people who take over the farm subsequently go off and get a job, work away from the farm for a while and then maybe come back in mid-life and take over the farm. That has been the tradition. The type of agriculture we are doing in this country now means this may no longer be the appropriate methodology to use. We need to get people into farming earlier so they can build a career and build up the farm from an earlier stage in their lives. Of course, there are a whole lot of competing factors. We have a very buoyant economy. People have opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry and all sorts of other industries, where many would think they would have an easier life than in farming. That possibility is competing with farming. Central to all of this, we need to ensure that this report on generational renewal and its recommendations are implemented. When will this report be implemented? When will it actually happen? We have the report and the recommendations, but when will we have the action?
To give a straight answer to a straight question, we have started already. A number of the recommendations are on the extension of the reliefs to give more certainty, including agricultural relief, young trained farmer relief and relief stamp duties. Those exemptions were worth €325 million to farm families in 2024 alone.
I am referring to new stuff.
Extending them for as long as we possibly can under state aid rules was a key recommendation of the commission. There are 31 recommendations in total. We have started this already. An implementation team has been established in my Department and it will work on the recommendations of the commission. While some recommendations are for consideration and progress in the context of the next CAP, others can be progressed in a shorter timeframe.
I want to work on those practical measures with Members of this House but also with members of Macra na Feirme and other farming organisations to make real and tangible changes. This issue really does matter and does get to the heart of our farming system, people planning for the future and planning future investment. There are many good supports in that space. The Deputy is right that our economy is at full employment and that there are challenges that come with this fact, including the other opportunities that are out there. The next generation will probably be the best educated ever, which means there are competing demands for us in that space too.
We recognise all that. The difficulty I have is that in the past we had a legacy where young farmers were let down. We have had the forgotten farmers and all that before. It still has not been fully dealt with. I would, of course, say that from my side of the House. We need to ensure we do not create a situation where anything like this happens again. We need firm commitments to young people who want to farm that they will have the opportunity to do so and will get assistance from the Government to do so and that this will be an option for them into the future and that they will be able to see a long-term viable future in farming.
The Minister mentioned that some of the proposals will be dependent on the new CAP that will be coming in two years' time. That seems like kicking the can down the road a little bit. We need to get clarity on that. Is the Minister going to wait for the new CAP?
The Minister also mentioned recommendations in the report that are already happening and stuff that has been extended. That is fine. We knew about that. Some of the recommendations have a fairly hefty budgetary cost to them. What is going to happen with those and when will they be implemented? Will the Minister wait for the new CAP to implement them? Is the cost going to be taken out of that budget too?
That will be another problem if it happens because it will impact on the measures that farmers depend on today. We do not want to see that raided for the future.
In relation to the forgotten farmers, I have addressed that issue. The scheme opened up for applications earlier in the year. Those who qualify under the terms and conditions I inherited from an issue 20 years ago will be dealt with and will be paid by the end of this year. That is an issue that will be addressed once and for all.
In terms of the broader piece, a line in the report of the commission on generational renewal jumped out at me. It stated that what will not change is that the key decisions made around succession will still be taken in conversations around the kitchen table by the family members. What we have to do in government is support that conversation.
When I was the Minister of State in the Department with responsibility for farmer mental health and well-being, I funded local initiatives, including a local-led project in Mayo, where we trialled supports for farm families in the area of succession to try to take the stress away from it. The thing that really struck me from it was that so many people put the decision off because they were afraid of it. They do not want to have the discussion and what triggers the need to have it. You do not want to do it in a time of crisis. There was relief among the families when they engaged with the services and realised that it makes much more sense from a taxation perspective to do this in a planned way. That is what we will do. We will have a full wraparound of services here to support farm families to make these decisions in a structured way. Some of that will be part of the next CAP, but much of it can be done in the meantime. I will continue to work on this area, including on other taxation measures that I am discussing with the Minister for Finance.
93. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the supports available in budget 2026 for the tillage sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55463/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe tillage sector is a vital part of the agrifood sector. A series of three consecutive poor harvests has severely impacted the viability of the tillage sector in Ireland. What supports are available in budget 2026 for the sector?
I thank Deputy Cleere. He raises a valid point. The IFA called a meeting in the Killashee Hotel in Kildare, which was attended by over 1,000 tillage farmers. I addressed the meeting and answered questions in a very robust debate. We got through the issues, not just financial and short-term issues in terms of supporting the sector and maintaining confidence among farmers so that they will plough, do minimum tillage or put seed back in the ground again next year. There are medium-term interventions that can be taken in this space. I fully recognise the pressure there is on the tillage sector, not least the very challenging market outlook and the downward price pressure this season, off the back of two really tough years.
This Government recognises the importance of the tillage sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops, but before we do that, we have to make sure we are not losing ground. This year, the amount of tillage has been stable compared to last year, but it is a third tough year for tillage farmers. We know if ground grows back from stubble into grass, it is unlikely to come back into tillage. That is why it is really important that we support the sector through this rough time.
In recognition of the sector’s importance, my Department will be supporting the tillage sector in 2026 with funding of at least €50 million through the protein aid scheme, the straw incorporation measure and a tillage support scheme. Having secured additional funding in budget 2026 for a tillage support scheme, I intend to consult stakeholders on its design and operation in due course.
The tillage sector will also be supported in 2026 through other schemes, including the tillage capital investment scheme, ACRES and the organic farming scheme, which I will be reopening for the tillage sector. In addition to commitments made in the budget, my Department has provided significant direct supports to tillage farmers in recent years. This year, the budget for the protein aid scheme was €10 million, having increased from €7 million to €10 million annually from last year. Applications for approximately 66,000 ha of cereals and oilseed rape straw were submitted under the straw incorporation measure this year. I committed to pay all eligible applicants, even though that was over the allocated money I had for the scheme. In February this year, I announced €32.4 million of payments under the tillage and horticulture support scheme. This was more than had been budgeted for, but I still met that commitment.
I welcome the €50 million additional funding and the commitment given today that a consultation process with key stakeholders will take place. When 1,000 farmers attend a meeting, it shows that there is a problem and a big challenge in the sector. We know the tillage sector contributes €1.3 billion annually to the Irish economy, but the sector is in decline, as the Minister outlined. The area under tillage farming in Ireland has reduced by 40% in 40 years. We are not tilling as much land as we were previously. The decline, as the Minister said, is a result of numerous pressures on the sector, including high input prices, competition for land and low global grain prices. Ireland now has one of the lowest percentages of land devoted to arable cropping among EU countries, at about 6.5% of the utilisable agricultural area. This is a huge challenge and a huge problem. I acknowledge and welcome the additional supports that are going to be put in place, but more needs to be done to future-proof this sector in the short, medium and longer term.
I completely agree with the Deputy. The truth is finance was found last year and has been found again for next year to support the tillage sector at a time of constrained budgets and a lot of competing demands on budgets. The farming for water European Innovation Partnership, EIP, of which tillage farmers are availing, has a budget of €60 million to support targeted on-farm additional measures to improve water quality, including establishment of cover crops, which we know have a really big impact as well. This year, over 1,400 tillage farmers have expressed an interest in establishing cover crops under the EIP.
The Food Vision tillage group was the subset of our Food Vision strategy. It had a stakeholder-led report. It is not my report or the Department's report; it is all the stakeholders together. That Food Vision group, chaired by Matt Dempsey, came up with a series of recommendations and they were not all about money. A lot of them were structural. That medium-term structural support for the future is exactly what the Food Vision tillage group looked at. I want to work with the sector to implement and address more of those structural challenges to get ourselves to step away from the dependency on world market prices and to try to get that value-added piece, on which I can expand more.
It was recently reported that the Department of agriculture intends to reopen the technical files on Irish whiskey. Currently, Irish whiskey is defined as a "spirit distilled on the island of Ireland ... from a mash of malted cereals, with or without whole grains of other cereals". By this definition, there is absolutely no requirement at the moment to use Irish grain in the production of Irish whiskey. Is the Minister able to confirm if the technical files will be reopened? If they are, would he be supportive of requiring Irish whiskey to be made with grain grown in Ireland? To me, this would seem an obvious way to support the struggling tillage sector.
The whiskey file is one element that we can do as part of that future-proofing piece. In the meeting with the tillage farmers on the night in question I discussed the role of quality assurance, which we can make progress on if we all work together, and addressing the use of native grains, how they are used in our feed system, how they are incorporated and how we can monetise that for farmers. Teagasc will say that there is a lower emission profile using native grains as a feedstock for Irish beef. There is a story to tell there in terms of our emission profile of the beef produced from that feed. There is a piece we need to look at and identify how we monetise it to get a greater return for the produce so that the farmer benefits from using that if there is a higher cost to that input.
I have asked for the whiskey file to be re-examined. I have responsibility for the whiskey sector, which is under significant pressure. I am not coming to that with a specific viewpoint. There are pitfalls we have to be careful about here. If there was a year of a bad crop or crop failure here, we still have to be able to produce whiskey. It is about looking at that technical file to see how we can bring that value-added piece. That is the medium-term solution for supporting the tillage sector beyond one-off payments or financial direct schemes.
