Specific Details
IFA Budget 2023 Submission - Measures to Support Farm Enterprises
Intended results
FARM SCHEMES
Suckler Cow & Beef
Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme - Government support committed to suckler farmers in 2023 is €28m less than current levels. This is unacceptable. The new Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme must be built on to provide farmers a minimum of €300/cow payment for all suckler cows.
Beef Sector Efficiency Pilot (BEEP-S) - The BEEP-S scheme has proven very positive among farmers with over 25,000 applicants annually throughout the duration the scheme. It is vital a similar nationally financed scheme is put in place for 2023.
Cattle rearing and finishing scheme -The Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme has recognised the importance of supporting farmers who rear calves from the dairy herd however it must be expanded to include farmers who rear beef animals from the suckler herd including store and finishing farmers, with a minimum payment of €100/animal.
Sheep
Sheep Improvement Scheme - The sheep improvement scheme must be funded appropriately through a combination of CAP and National funding to deliver €30/ewe to our 2.69m breeding ewes.
Producer Organisations - The Government must ensure all existing lamb producer groups can easily avail of the Early-Stage Producer Organisation funding and funding levels are provided to support all applicants from the sheep sector.
Wool - Direct supports to offset the costs associated with shearing.
- Shearing should be included as a measure in the Sheep Improvement Scheme to support farmers carrying out this vital health and welfare measure and to ensure wool is presented in optimum condition for future added value use.
- Government should create incentives for wool to be the insulation of choice in home and commercial insulation and make it mandatory for Irish wool insulation to be used in all social housing projects and public buildings.
- Sheep shearing equipment included to the new on-farm capital investment scheme.
Dog Control - Government must provide appropriate resources and funding to allow an effective operational Dog Warden service in every county with staffing levels that ensure enforcement of the obligations of dog owners.
Agri-Environment Schemes
- €460m funding allocation is required for environmental and locally led schemes
- Ensure that there are no farmers who wish to participate are left without an Agri Environment Scheme in 2023. This can be done by either rolling over 12,000 GLAS 3 participants for 2023 which would reduce the number of new applications in 2023 or alternatively by paying an upfront ACRES payment in 2023 for Tranche 2 participants similar to the way REPS payments were in the past.
- Payments of up to €10,500 be available to all farmers in both the ACRES General and Cooperative options
- ACRES must not be limited to 50,000 farmers
Area's of National Constraints (ANCs)
- Funding for the ANCs is increased by a further €50m to bring the total budget for the scheme to €300m for 2022.
Designated Area Payments
- Additional funding of €15m is allocated to the NPWS farm plan scheme to pay farmers where, due to designation of land, restrictions are imposed on farming.
Producer Organisations (POs)
-€5m is provided to assist farmers with the establishment and ongoing running costs of POs.
- The rules need to be much less bureaucratic and designed in a more farmer-friendly manner
- Ireland's CAP strategic plan proposal for enhanced supports for early-stage Producer Organisations in the beef, sheep, horticulture (including potatoes), cereals and amenity plant sectors should continue to be supported.
Walks Scheme
- The previous commitment to extend the Walks Scheme to 80 walks must be delivered without further delay.
- The number of trails be extended to 150, with additional funds of €3.8m to bring it to a total of €8m.
LEADER
- A sustainable budget of €389 million must be provided for the LEADER Programme 2023-2027 to drive ‘bottom-up, community-led' investment to create and sustain employment in rural Ireland, provide funding in the rural environment and support climate change mitigation initiatives in rural communities as well as the identified high-level ambitions of LEADER 2023-2027 outlined in the draft CAP strategic plan.
- IFA proposes that funding, in addition to what's proposed in the Draft CAP Strategic Plan, be provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD).
- The LEADER Programme be provided with €77.8m funding for 2023, with no gap in this funding before the start-up of LEADER under the next CAP Programme.
Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) /On Farm Investment Scheme
- Provide €80m in funding for TAMS in 2023 and to keep in line with current levels of inflation costing must be updated before the opening of each tranche.
- Grant aid for the purchase of Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment must be paid at a rate of 60% for all farmers both for new equipment and retrofitting existing equipment and the investment ceiling for LESS investment needs to be increased. These changes are necessary to help ensure emissions associated with slurry spreading are reduced.
- Additional items should be added to include grant aid for road underpasses, weighbridges and rubber mats.
- The minimum investment limit of €2,000 is lowered to accommodate small investments.
- Standalone TAMS grant for manure storage (60% government funded)
- Farmers who are actively involved in the breeding and and rearing of horses must be included under the TAMS from January 2023
- the establishment pf a new "Roof-Top Solar Scheme" and a new "Anaerobic Digestion Support Scheme" financed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and independent of TAMS, to support increased investment in renewable energy sources
Horticulture
- funding for the scheme is increased to €12m to meet the demand for investment, evidenced by the oversubscription of the scheme in previous years
Compensation is provided for the disposal of ash plants in amenity horticulture
ANIMAL HEALTH
- Support for Farmers Implementing Best Practice Disease Control and Medicine Usage on Farms - Overarching Animal Health Programme for all farmers that directly supports farmers in implementing best practice disease prevention and targeted medicines usage on farms that recognises the on-farm costs and additional labour requirements associated with applying these practices on farm and critically implementing them for 365 days a year.
- Cont'd - The TASAH Parasite Control Programme is a first step but fails to directly support farmers for participation. This must be built on and provide farmers with direct financial incentives and supports to deliver the programme on their farms.
- 0% VAT Rate on non-oral medicines - Government must advance the timeframe suggested to apply the 0% Value-Added Tax (VAT) rate on non-oral animal medicines and vaccines worth over €10m annually to farmers in direct savings.
- Regional Veterinary Laboratories - The €33.5m allocated in 2019 for a 10-year programme to enhance the Regional Veterinary Laboratory Network and associated services to farmers must be utilised without delay. The Government must provide farmers with a Regional Veterinary Laboratory Network that they can have confidence in. Better access to the laboratory network for all farmers and enhancements to the analytics and services offered by the Regional Veterinary Laboratory network must be provided
-TB Programme - A fair and equitable funding model with upfront investment to deliver on longer term goals must be provided, recognising farmers labour contribution of over €20m annually in addition to the €28m in annual testing and almost €8m in disease levies.
cont'd -The increased funding is critical to provide for the enhanced measures proposed in the TB Forum and to provide farmers impacted by TB Controls who through no fault of their own have their incomes decimated through animal removals, restrictions and additional more frequent testing. Providing farmers with a fair level of income support for animals removed based on IFA's proposals to the Forum is costed at just over an additional €7m.
- The TB Forum agreed that the doubling of resources is necessary for the Wildlife Control Programme to function effectively and efficiently in delivering reductions to the levels of TB in both the cattle and badger population. The funding for the additional resources must be realised and the resources must be put in place to deliver ‘boots on the ground' to implement the programme in areas where there are disease problems that are associated wildlife.
- The announcement to re-establish the National Deer Management Group is welcome, however this group must be resourced and funded to implement measures on the ground that will realise a reduction in deer numbers where they are encroaching on farm land and also the provision of a targeted density reduction programme for deer where they are associated with TB outbreaks in cattle.
- BVD - Farmers have invested directly over €100m in the BVD programme since it commenced voluntarily in 2012, before becoming compulsory in 2013. As we approach attainment of recognised BVD Free Status under the EU Animal Health Law this is a critical time for AHI and its credibility with farmers. The programme, while finally on track to deliver on its objective of eradication, has had a very mixed response from farmers.
cont'd - The future credibility of AHI and ultimately its ability to deliver across the numerous other existing programme areas is dependent on a satisfactory conclusion from a farmer's perspective to the BVD programme.
-Cont'd - It is prudent to continue with the most effective case detection method in the programme for 2023 at a minimum, therefore the fundamental change farmers must see is the removal of the direct costs of BVD sampling and testing. The higher-level national surveillance, proof of freedom, in the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) programme that will commence in 2023 must provide farmers with the most effective case detection approach and be fully funded by DAFM.
- Cont'd -This approach is consistent with the publicly stated Department of Agriculture policy of cost and responsibility sharing in disease control. Farmers have made their direct and indirect contribution to this programme since 2012, delivered on the objectives of the programme and it is now time for Government to step in in acknowledgement of the achievements of breeding farmers and the beneficiaries who to-date have not incurred any BVD programme costs.
- Cont'd - This is estimated to cost €10m in the first year reducing annually as the screening becomes more targeted based on the profiling of herds by Technical working Group, identifying only higher risks potentially to screen.
- Johnes - The Department of Agriculture funding and resource commitment to the programme must be extended and built on to help drive participation.
- IBR - Resources must be provided for the National Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) programme based on an equitable funding model that reflect the beneficiaries and wider benefits for the national economy associated with the programme.
- Fallen Animal Collection Service - The Department of Agriculture is compelled under EU law to provide an effective and efficient fallen animal collection system for farmers as this is the only mechanism for animal disposal available to farmers. The current system is failing to deliver for farmers and the two key issues that must be addressed are guaranteed collection of all animals and competitive collection fees.
- Cont'd -The Fallen Animal Collection Service must be reviewed, restructured and funded to an appropriate level that ensures all farmers have access to a guaranteed efficient and competitively priced Fallen Animal Collection Service.
Aquaculture
-Proposed initiatives should be primarily funded using the Brexit Adjustment Reserve fund to allow the Irish aquaculture industry to become more resilient, competitive and delivers the opportunity to grow sustainably. The recommended initiatives of the Seafood Taskforce report should be implemented and details of grant schemes be made available as soon as possible.
- IFA Aquaculture are calling on the Government to consider funding mechanisms made available by the European Commission to assist Irish Aquaculture operators affected by these severe cost increases.
- Cont'd -A ‘Temporary Crisis Scheme' to allow for financial compensation to operators in the aquaculture sector for their income forgone and additional costs incurred must be made available to ALL aquaculture operators affected by the Ukraine crisis and eligibility criteria must reflect that - this must be done without delay.
- Carbon Value / Sequestration - Appropriate recognition and renumeration must be given for the Irish aquaculture sector in its carbon sequestration services and the added value aquaculture produce provides and the contribution aquaculture can make in meeting Climate Action targets in this regard. DAFM must integrate a payment mechanism in the EMFAF Operational Programme via the Open Method of Coordination.
-- Sufficient funding, adequate and appropriate resources must be allocated to ensure full implementation of all the recommendations of the Independent Aquaculture Licensing Review.
Office for Fairness and Transparency in the Agri Food Supply Chain
- Current legislation needs to be furthered strengthened, and stricter sanctions applied, to ensure greater for Irish farmers and security within the Irish food supply chain.
Measures to Improve Farm Safety
-Under the current flat rate review, IFA is seeking inclusion, under a separate category, of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to minimise risk on farms.
- Non-registered farmers should have the option to reclaim VAT on the cost of purchasing and maintaining farm safety equipment to help maintain best safety standards, via the VAT 58 form.
- Grant aid and/or accelerated capital allowances is provided for drafting gates
- Reduced Vat rate on safety equipment such as replacement of manhole covers, power shaft covers etc.
- The expansion of the Farm Safety Equipment Scheme, with increased funding for health and safety equipment under TAMS.
- A handbrake and Power-Take Off (PTO) improvement scheme; to include a PTO scrappage scheme and a handbrake replacement scheme, to assist farmers in replacing malfunctioning equipment.
- An annual farm safety budget be allocated to the Farm Safety Partnership Advisory Committee to implement future farm safety action plans.
Road Development
- Farmers impacted by national road developments under the new National Development Plan receive a flexibility payment.
- Inclusion of an Underpass of suitable size for modern farming or a flyover to sustain existing operations and link impacted farms fragmented by new road development.
- A simplified and fast-tracked planning process is put in place for the construction of road underpasses.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Tim Cullinan, IFA President; Michael Biggins, IFA Rural Development Chairperson; Rose Mary McDonagh, IFA Farm Business Chairperson
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
Yes
What is the directive you gave to the grassroots campaigners?
To lobby members of the Oireachtas on the contents of the IFA's Budget 2023 Submission
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Mass communications
Letter All TDs
Submission All TDs
Letter All Senators
Submission All Senators
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Informal communication (2-5)
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Charlie McConalogue
Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Paschal Donohoe
Minister (Department of Finance)
Michael McGrath
Minister (Department of Public Expenditure and Reform)
Mary Lou McDonald
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Matt Carthy
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Barry Cowen
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Carol Nolan
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Maria Byrne
Senator (Seanad)
Martin Heydon
Minister of State (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Joe O'Brien
Minister of State (Department of Rural and Community Development)
Catherine Martin
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Anne Rabbitte
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Mary Butler
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
James Browne
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Helen McEntee
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Peter Burke
Minister of State (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)