Coughlan satisfied with funding for agriculture department
Minister Mary Coughlan said the total voted funding available to her department will be €1.5bn, a 10% increase on the projected out turn for this year.
EU-funded direct payments to farmers and market supports will amount to a further €1.5bn.
The Estimates provide for an additional €86 million for the main demand-led schemes such as the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS), on-farm investment grants, forestry and compensatory allowances.
She said she was optimistic about the future of the Irish agrifood sector, despite a number of challenges.
She added she was satisfied the Estimate will meet the requirements of her department and will enable it to continue to play its vital role in the development of a vibrant and sustainable agrifood sector.
Ms Coughlan said the major challenges facing the sector arise from the negotiations on the EU financial perspective for 2007-2013 and the outcome of the negotiations on the next WTO agreement.
She said her objective was to defend the benefits to Irish and EU farmers of the most recent Common Agricultural Policy reforms.
Ms Coughlan said she was determined to ensure that the outcomes of the forthcoming negotiations will not necessitate further reform of the CAP.
However, Fine Gael agriculture spokesman Denis Naughten said the estimates exposes even further the FF-PD Government’s lack of commitment to developing our food industry.
The figures indicate that spending on agriculture research and training will fall by 4%, while funding for food safety is cut by 6%, further evidence that the minister is failing to understand that Irish farmers will have no future unless we significantly increase funding in developing and growing our food industry.
IFA president John Dillon said the increase in spending for agriculture was 6%, which will broadly meet the requirements of the sector for the coming year.
He said a 9% cut in the early retirement and installation aid allocation was disappointing, but the 19% increase in the REPS allocation was important and the increased allocation for forestry was welcome.
Macra na Feirme president Colm Markey said a 9% reduction in the allocation for land mobility measures on top of an 8% reduction in the previous year illustrates the need for change in the scheme to increase uptake.
