Inclusive of amendments of 30 September 2008, of 15 May 2009
Animal Welfare, Recording and Breeding Scheme for Suckler Herds
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- 4.5 Axes 3 and 4: Rural Quality of Life and LEADER Implementation
4.4.5 Animal Welfare, Recording and Breeding Scheme for Suckler HerdsArticle 40 of Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 and Article and Regulation (EC) No …/2006, and Annex II, point 9. (Code of the measure: 215) Under Axis 2 a measure to support the suckler herd is proposed, with an allocation of €250 million. The measure is primarily designed to encourage farmers to adopt high standards of animal welfare by providing support for farmers whose animal husbandry goes beyond the relevant mandatory standards and working practices on farms at present. In this respect the animal welfare component of the proposed measure is consistent with Article 40 of the Regulation. The rationale for intervention is well set out in the plan. It emphasises the importance of the role of the suckler herd in Ireland’s rural economy, in particular in the less advantaged areas. There is an identified need to improve animal welfare standards as part of a process to improve the quality of the national beef herd. Thus while the measure is included under Axis 2 it also strongly complements Axis 1 and Axis 3 objectives. An improvement in animal welfare standards will assist quality and productivity. As a consequence, the direct animal welfare support is being linked to related assistance to encourage recording of data in breeding, which also has animal welfare components, and to the use of such data for breeding purposes. The Objectives of the measure are to encourage farmers to:
There are seven proposed actions under the measure on animal welfare, related animal recording and breeding and associated training. These are relevant mainly to the ‘absence of systematic mutilations, isolation or permanent tethering’ mentioned in Article 27 of the Commission implementing regulation. The various actions under this measure are linked and participation in all (i.e. animal welfare, events recording, training) shall be obligatory and the breeding element shall be an added option (the replacement of female breeding stock with high genetic merit heifers). The measure is consistent with the overall objectives of the RDP and promotes the objectives of all 3 axes. It seeks to compensate farmers for the additional costs (including training) in adapting to programmes that will have benefits both in terms of better animal welfare standards and longer term for the overall beef industry. The linkage between the measure and the SWOT analysis in the RDP is tenuous and the specific need for this measure could be more clearly identified in the RDP. The rationale for the measure is well set out in the section dealing with the description and proposed actions but the link back to the earlier analysis could be improved. No monitoring and evaluation systems for the measure are outlined but it is understood that some details of the proposed measure were still under consideration at the time of this ex-ante evaluation.
Axis 3 of the Plan is aimed at improving the quality of life in rural areas and encouraging diversification of economic activity. Six specific measures and two training and skill acquisition measures are proposed and these measures are closely linked to three further measures, in Axis 4, details below and involve a total expenditure over seven years, over both axes, of €425m or 10 per cent of the total programme. The priorities chosen in the plan are in accord with the Rural Development strategy document and with the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005. Measures under Axis 3 seek to address issues that are broadly considered as important in improving the quality of life in rural areas and that promote a greater sense of community involvement. Since 1994 the LEADER programme – the EU Community Initiative for rural development—has operated in Ireland and has developed as a successful model for implementation of initiatives whereby problems in rural areas are addressed by responses appropriate and designed at local level. The objective of LEADER is to foster the development of rural areas through the implementation of innovative, locally based, bottom-up development strategies designed by local groups/bodies made up of a range of local actors (statutory and non-statutory). Such groups typically operate in small towns and rural areas with a population of up to 100,000, which are seen to represent a natural rural ‘region’ in socio-economic and geographic terms. Under Axis 3 the aim is to deliver a number of measures that would previously have been delivered under LEADER using the LEADER, approach but ensuring that the measures are part of mainstream rural development policy rather than actions of a pilot nature. Table 1: Proposed Expenditure in Axes 3 and 4 2007—2013
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