Results 301-320 of 3,701 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Programme for Government places an emphasis on animal welfare and specifically commits to the continued robust enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which provides a modern framework for regulating and applying standards in the area of animal health and welfare. My Department takes its responsibilities for protecting animal welfare most seriously and strongly...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The 2025 Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector was reopened in response to damage caused to horticulture structures as a result of Storm Éowyn. The targeted reopening of the 2025 Scheme was specifically for growers proposing investments in response to the damage caused by Storm Éowyn. The Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The welfare of equines is protected by legislation and appropriate enforcement action is undertaken by my Department and authorised officers under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, including An Garda Síochána, Customs agents, authorised officers appointed by local authorities, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) and the Dublin Society for the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: We have robust legislation in this country to protect the welfare of animals. In the case of pigs there is sector specific legislation in place which is based on the EU pig welfare legislation. Official veterinarians in my Department carry out a number of inspections of pig farms each year to check compliance with the requirements of this legislation. Herds are selected based on...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: I can confirm that a total of 2,020 farmers with holdings in County Cavan are currently active participants in ACRES. Of this total, 166 farmers are currently awaiting their 2024 scheme year advance payments, of which 54 are also awaiting finalisation of 2023 payments. With regard to County Monaghan, 953 farmers are currently active participants in the scheme, with 64 participants...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: I am more than aware of the devastation that Storm Éowyn has caused to forest owners throughout the country and understand their need to clear wind-blown sites. More than 63% of affected forests have licences in place already, with another 11% in the system prioritised for processing. I would encourage those remaining 25% of affected forest owners to engage with their foresters and to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishery Harbour Centres (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department operates and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres, located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl, under statute. The responsibility for the development and maintenance of local authority-owned piers, harbours and slipways rests with each local authority in the first instance, and with their parent Department,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Usage (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: Ensuring that there is an understanding of the importance of the Nitrates derogation among EU counterparts is something that my Department have been proactively engaged on for some time. In November 2023, at the Irish Government's request, the then European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries visited Ireland. Furthermore, last September, senior Commission Officials...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Prices (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: To be clear at the outset as Minister for Agriculture I do not have a role in setting or controlling prices for any commodity. My Department does, as part of its role in supporting the sector, monitor general developments and trends in prices received and costs borne by Irish farmers. The price paid for malting barley is a matter between buyers and sellers and a function of supply and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: In the new CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027, funding of €256 million has been allocated to the Organic Farming Scheme - approximately a five-fold increase from the previous CAP. This increase in allocation is to support farmers converting to, and maintaining, organic farming practices. Over the past three years there has been a trebling of the numbers farming organically,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: More than €440 million has been paid to ACRES participants to date. A total of €247.4 million has been paid to 42,631 participants (25,537 General and 17,094 Co-operation), or 95% of all ACRES participants, in respect of their participation in the Scheme in 2023. A further 2,302 farmers have yet to receive their final payments for 2023. Of these, 2,008 have already received an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The new Programme for Government acknowledges the importance of this issue and prioritises “supporting inter-generational farm succession”. Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the agri-food sector, states that generational renewal in farming is critically important to ensure the future viability and social sustainability of the Irish agri-food sector and of rural Ireland....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: Following the recent storms, Storm Darragh and Storm Éowyn, my Department has accelerated the process for issuing a felling licence and to prioritise those licences needed to deal with fallen trees. We have issued guidance to forest owners and registered foresters advising them to identify applications needed for storm-damaged sites. It is the case that over 63% of affected forests...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Funding (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The independent Irish Grown Wool Council was established in April 2023 following recommendations from the Wool Feasibility study. To support its establishment, my Department committed financial assistance of €30,000 in seed funding. My Department does not have a seat on the Council, nor does the Council report to me. To date, €25,910 of the allocated seed funding has been...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: In response to the damage that resulted from Storm Éowyn to the Irish horticulture sector I, together with my colleague Michael Healy-Rae T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for Horticulture, announced a targeted reopening of the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector. The targeted reopening of the 2025 Scheme of Investment Aid for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tillage Sector (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The tillage sector is an important and integral component of the Agri-food industry making a significant contribution to overall agricultural output. This Government recognises the importance of the sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops in the years ahead. The Climate Action Plan has set a target of growing the tillage area to 400,000 hectares as a diversification...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grants to all eligible farmers to purchase back-up generators. This include all generators, irrespective of the drive mechanism. While these generators are included as an investment item under the Dairy Equipment Scheme, the investment is open to all farmers who declare the minimum eligibility requirement of five hectares under...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The new Programme for Government prioritises “supporting inter-generational farm succession”. Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the agri-food sector, states that generational renewal in farming is critically important to ensure the future viability and social sustainability of the Irish agri-food sector and of rural Ireland. Demographic challenges for the agricultural...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: I am very aware of the devastation caused to the Irish horticulture sector as a result of Storm Éowyn. My Department officials engaged with Teagasc and other stakeholders to get an assessment of the extent and significance of the damage caused. The information provided by the sector as part of that assessment highlighted significant damage to horticulture infrastructure in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department officials are in regular contact with the ESB, particularly in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn. On 5th February 2025, a decision was made by Government to request ESB Networks to develop a Winter 2025 Grid Resilience Plan. A key component of this plan will be the requirement to safeguard the electrical network that passes through forests. In this regard ESB have engaged...