Denis Naughten: EU farm aid 'paltry', urges BEAM 2 and safeguards

Thank you, Cathaoirle. Minister, can I turn to the issue of EU supports? After weeks of intensive lobbying, the European Commission has eventually announced an aid to private storage scheme for both lamb and beef, which in value terms is paltry, and with the conditions regarding the cuts, makes it virtually worthless. The United States has introduced a COVID support scheme for its farmers, which is equivalent to €9,518 per farmer. The EU, on the other hand, has given a COVID support equivalent for farmers of €8 per farmer. That's 1,190 times less support being given by the European Commission to European farmers than the US is giving to its own farmers. Minister, can I ask you, as a very, very first step, will the EU ensure that the aid to private storage for both beef and lamb is to cater for the cuts where there is no demand for them at present, rather than the current conditions that are being placed on it? Minister, can I also ask you, Minister, will you ensure that we have a BEAM 2 to support the loss in income for beef farmers as a result of the fall-off in trade as a result of Brexit? Minister, €100 million was set aside last year to compensate beef farmers for the first six months of losses as a result of Brexit. That was €16.6 million per month for the first six months. Now, we need another €166 million to cover the losses over the last ten months as a result of Brexit, plus €20 million in the underspend in the first round of BEAM. And that's before we look at the issue in relation to losses as a result of COVID-19. And there needs to be a fund put in place of at least €186 million to compensate farmers for the loss of income in terms of beef as a result of Brexit. And on top of that, a scheme of exceptional aid put in place for the lamb and beef industry in terms of COVID-19. Minister, what is the chances of actually securing real investment from the European Commission in line with what's happening in the United States? Well, I have to say, I am somewhat surprised that Deputy Nocton follows the path worn by Deputy Carthy, who's now left the chamber, as advocates for the US model of agriculture. I am quite staggered by it. US farmers are dumping milk. US farmers have seen their beef plants close. We have managed at least to keep milk collected and farmers paid for milk, albeit there is a price and challenge there. You quote the response from the European Union, and I agree with you. It's inadequate, and we continue to make that case. But that's an inadequacy on top of the levels of support that are there generally. The American agriculture is a free market agricultural model. It's a free market agricultural model with no supports to family farms. It's an industrial model of agriculture, which we should avoid like the plague. And I am really surprised, Deputy Nocton, that you follow the example of Sinn Féin in advocating a Trump-style agriculture in Ireland or across the European Union. We will continue, we will continue to work in the European Union with colleagues to try and deliver the best possible deal. And whether that's a beam too, we are looking for exceptional aid measures for the livestock sector generally, because we foresee very difficult challenges ahead for them. And we have moved from a situation where the response was, relaxation of state aid rules and off you go and fix it yourself, to a situation now where they have shifted ground. And we hope they will shift ground more. But if they don't, we are aware of what our obligations may be domestically. Minister, I never advocated a US model, but I am showing you the stark contrast in relation to the level of support that has been provided in the US compared to the level of support that has been provided to European farmers. Many colleagues in here have highlighted the disparaging income that has been, support level that has been given of €8 per farmer within the European Union. And when we are on the issue of the European model of agriculture, I listened intently to the response that you gave earlier on to Deputy Carty regarding beef imports to Ireland from other EU states. And can you explain to me, Minister, why beef processors in this country would be importing beef for reprocessing in this country when we export 600,000 tonnes of beef out of this country and which Irish finishers at the moment are losing between €200 and €250 ahead on at present? Can I ask you, Minister, and reiterate a question that was asked by my colleague earlier on, Deputy Lowry, of the Taoiseach. And that was to bring forward direct payments from October to July. Now, the Taoiseach said, and I quote him, he said that he thinks it's a good idea and that he has already spoken with you about the possibility of that. Will you give the House here a response to the request from the Taoiseach in relation to that? Regarding the six clusters that have been identified in terms of Covid-19 outbreaks within the meat industry, can I ask you, Minister, have any concerns been brought to the attention of your department by your officials in those plants, or by the veterinary officers paid by the Department of Agriculture in those plants, regarding the operation of those plants and whether there is the social distancing that should apply in those operations? Secondly, Minister, can I ask you to clarify for me, because I have been told these allegations in relation to plants, I don't know whether they're true or not, but I would like you to investigate the fact that I have been told that staff have been brought in from third countries into some of these plants, from third countries that have very high incidence of Covid-19, and there has not been the level of quarantine provided of 14 days before they actually started working in those plants. Can you confirm to me that that practice has not happened? If the Deputy has evidence of the latter, he should bring it to the appropriate authorities. My evidence from my own Chief Veterinary Officer and staff in the department is that at these individual plants, everything is being done by management in conjunction with my own department and the HSE to deal with these issues. On the issue of bringing forward payments, yes, we've had discussions with the Taoiseach on these matters, but as it currently stands, EU regulations do not permit the bringing forward of payments earlier than the 16th of October. That may change. With regard to imports, I know there's a populist element to this to say that we shouldn't bring in any beef, and in an ideal world, we wouldn't. In an ideal world, we'd eat all our own beef and we'd send our own beef to everywhere else to eat. But the National Farmers Union in the UK is kicking up about Irish beef on UK supermarket shelves. We export 90% of what we produce. We would be the biggest losers if there was a renationalisation. You're calling for, effectively, a nationalisation of the Irish market, which is Irish market for Irish beef. I know, you're not answering it either. No, please, Irish market for Irish beef. I would love that to be the case and to be able to sell our beef everywhere else without any consequences. We need to be the most vigilant about renationalisation because we are very dependent on exports. It is, you know, it's not something that I welcome, but I'm certainly not going to jump on a populist bandwagon because our primary interest is in making sure that the European market works for us, that we have access to those markets. And if there was a kind of a, you know, the Irish market for the Irish beef, we'd be having beef for breakfast, dinner and supper and we wouldn't eat all the beef we have. We need to make sure that we maintain access to the UK market, to the French market and every other market within the European Union. That's the most important thing for the beef farmers that we represent in the country. Thanks, Minister. I note that you didn't answer my question in relation to the beef imports and that's the point I'm making. I understand very well the broader issue, but as you know, the United Kingdom isn't a net exporter of beef. We are a net exporter of beef. We export nine out of ten animals and yet we're importing beef here. And it's a very simple question. What's the justification for it? Because I don't believe there is. And just if I can ask you, Minister, in terms of the lack of equitable support from the European Commission, which you yourself have acknowledged and which I've identified the weakness in terms of it, can you redouble efforts at a very minimum to ensure that those regulations that restrict the payment of EU supports until October could be amended this year to ensure that we can get income support much earlier in the year to farmers and that we get an additional tranche of funding in terms of the income losses as a result of COVID-19 and as a result of Brexit. Marsha ReZA AID Trans sincere review Unit for National Institute of Impact undertaxing food Coaching Attendant Add p Hong Kong Add p. Add p. Add p. Add p. Add p. Add p. Add 1 Add p. Add p. Ass. Add p. Add p. Add p. Add p. Add p. Add p. Add d.