John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the allocation under each targeted agricultural modernisation scheme measure in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6987/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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European Commission approval for the introduction of a number of targeted agricultural modernisation schemes, TAMS, intended to support productive investment in the agricultural sector was received in March 2010. Priority was given to the bioenergy, poultry welfare and sow welfare schemes which were launched by my Department during the first half of 2010. The sheep fencing and mobile handling equipment scheme opened for applications on 1 November 2010, while the dairy equipment and rainwater harvesting schemes were introduced in March 2011. With the exception of the poultry welfare scheme, all of the TAMS will remain open for applications this year. However, I expect that some residual payments will occur under the poultry welfare scheme in 2013.

The 2013 financial allocations for each of the TAMS are as follows: bioenergy, €1 million; dairy equipment, €8.55 million; poultry welfare, €1 million; rainwater harvesting; €100,000; sheep fencing and handling, €500,000; and sow welfare, €9.95 million. The total amount allocated will be €21.1 million. The allocation in the Department’s Vote for 2013 of this €21.1 million for TAMS compares to actual expenditure of €15.6 million in 2012. Expenditure under the sow welfare scheme is likely to be significant this year because, under the terms of the EU approval governing the scheme, all work must be completed by farmers by the end of September. Under the other TAMS, farmers generally have two years to complete the investment works concerned. As a result, it is not always possible to determine the calendar year in which the expenditure will arise. It also means that the level of expenditure lags significantly behind the actual amount committed under each scheme at any particular time.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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What was the allocation for the TAMS in 2012? The Minister stated that the level of expenditure was €15 million, but what was the outturn? I presume he was implying that the €9 million relating to the sow welfare scheme would be taken up. Is he of the view that the remainder of the overall allocation will be taken up in full?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The allocation for last year was approximately €20 million. In terms of the total allocation for the scheme and the actual expenditure that has been committed so far, the following figures apply: dairy equipment, €45 million; poultry welfare, €16 million; sow welfare, €13 million; sheep fencing and handling, €8 million; rainwater harvesting, €8 million; and bioenergy, €20 million. The total amount is €110 million. Subsequently, we transferred some of the money from the rainwater harvesting scheme to the dairy sector. We also transferred money to the sow welfare scheme in order to try to encourage compliance. We were under some pressure to achieve the latter. That was the correct decision to take at the end of last year.

The figures relating to the amount of money committed to date are: dairy equipment, €34.1 million; poultry welfare, €11.9 million; sow welfare, €13.6 million - this is above the €13 million originally allocated and I have just explained the reasons for it; sheep fencing and handling, only €3 million of €8 million allocated; rainwater harvesting, €300,000 of the €8 million allocated; and bioenergy, €1.37 million of the €20 million allocated. We are reallocating as appropriate. Obviously, however, we want to draw down as much of the funding as possible because it is co-funding that is at issue here.

James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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We are all aware that there has been extremely wet weather during the past two to three years. Does the Minister have plans to reintroduce the farm drainage scheme, which was previously in place 20 years ago?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We do not have plans to introduce a farm drainage scheme, but one may be possible under the new rural development scheme that will be developed under the new Common Agricultural Policy. There is a good deal of lobbying among member states that have the opposite problem to Ireland in that they do not get enough rain. In the Mediterranean belt interests in the south of France, Spain, certain parts of Portugal, Cyprus and Italy are all lobbying hard to be allowed to spend more money on irrigation systems under the rural development scheme because they need water. We have had the opposite problem in recent years. We will determine the level of flexibility under the new rural development scheme to put schemes in place to do the work about which the Deputy is talking, but I do not want to promise too much at this stage. Under the current rural development scheme, there is nothing specific for drainage schemes.