Results 4,221-4,240 of 23,957 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I requested the production of the Economic Analysis of the Irish Small-Scale Fleet to provide much needed data to assess the situation facing the inshore sector. It highlighted the impact which issues such as increased fuel costs had on profitability and the incomes of fishers. It has been a welcome signal that since the analysis was completed for this report, fuel prices have continued to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The new CAP 2023-2027 has commenced this year and payments will issue in the fourth quarter of the year across a very broad range of schemes. With this being the first year of the new CAP Strategic Plan, a whole range of new schemes is being introduced along with substantial changes to existing schemes, over a relatively short time period. We are fully committed to making payments to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I am aware of the report referred to by the Deputy. The Report's recommendations cover a number of cross Government matters in relation to health and climate and also agriculture in the context of transition to a sustainable food system. The report refers to Food Vision 2030 which, as the Deputy will be aware, reflects a sustainable food systems approach. A food systems approach...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Inshore Fisheries (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy will be aware, in December 2018, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine announced that vessels over 18 metres would be excluded from trawling in inshore waters inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines from 1 January 2020. A transition period of three years for vessels over 18 metres targeting sprat was allowed to enable adjustment for these vessels, as the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The storage and stacking of silage bales are regulated under the Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters Regulations, otherwise known as the ‘GAP Regulations’. These Regulations provide legal effect in Ireland to the Nitrates Directive and to our Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). The purpose of the GAP Regulations is to provide measures that ensure the protection...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I welcome the recent recommendations from the Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity Loss following the publication of the final report on the work of the Assembly on 5 April 2023. The report includes 159 recommendations. These include 73 high-level recommendations and 86 sectoral specific actions and priorities. These recommendations and related policy implications, including those that...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022. The Programme will benefit farmers, rural communities and the overall climate and environment for many years to come. Subject to State Aid approval from the European Commission and the completion of the ongoing Strategic Environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The agriculture sector is the largest contributor to Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions. While challenging from an Irish perspective, and unusual in an international context, this fact reflects the economic, and historical, importance of agriculture, relative to other industries in the Irish economy. Reducing emissions in agriculture is not a uniquely Irish challenge –...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fisheries Protection (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy will be aware, in December 2018, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine announced that vessels over 18 metres would be excluded from trawling in inshore waters inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines from 1 January 2020. A transition period of three years for vessels over 18 metres targeting sprat was allowed to enable adjustment for these vessels, as the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Programme for Government places a positive emphasis on animal welfare and specifically commits to the continued robust enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. This Act provides a modern framework for regulating and applying standards in the area of animal health and welfare. I am fully satisfied that enforcement measures under the Act remain effective. The Act has...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy will be aware that we await state aid approval for the ambitious new Forestry Programme. In the meantime to fill the lacuna created by the end of the last programme on 31st December 2022, an interim afforestation scheme and an interim forest roads scheme were launched, under the General De Minimis Regulation. This allowed those landowners with unused licences at the end of 2022 to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy will be aware that the management arrangements for the State’s fisheries, including the Mackerel fishery, have been set and developed over many years since the commencement of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the introduction of quotas. Pelagic stocks such as Mackerel are managed on an annual or seasonal basis with catch limits set based on allocation regimes...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Supports (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Although there has been a solid and sustained increase in average sheep prices since the end of February, I recognise that sheep farmers are experiencing more difficult market conditions in 2023 compared to recent years. The Government, as the Deputy can appreciate, has no role in determining commodity prices in the sheep sector. However, it is heartening to see that markets are now...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Regulations (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic and I assure him that this is something I have acutely aware of and I am following the situation extremely closely. The co-decision process for the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law is being managed by the Environment Council. The views of the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers have also been sought, and this proposal was...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Government has committed €1.3 billion to the new Forestry Programme, which is the biggest and largest funded Forestry Programme ever introduced by any Government here. It has been designed to contribute to our climate change and biodiversity objectives and is aimed in particular at re-engaging farmers in order that we can reach our ambitious afforestation target of 8,000 hectares...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: As Deputies may be aware the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022. The new Programme will benefit farmers, rural communities and the overall climate and environment. Subject to State Aid approval from the European Commission and the completion of the ongoing Strategic Environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I welcome the opportunity to discuss Coillte's mandate and how it relates to the implementation of Government policy both as a commercial semi-state organisation and of course on our land-use and environmental priorities. It is essential that its mandate continue to be flexible, multi-purpose and responsive to the issues of the day as part of a long-term land-use strategy. In my role as...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The 1.5bn Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is the pioneering and flaghsip agri-environment climate measure in Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027. It is a voluntary scheme whereby farmers, when approved into ACRES, will undertake certain actions on their land for at least five years. Farmers have demonstrated their desire to enhance the environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Deputies may be aware that the first confirmed finding of Ash Dieback Disease (Hymenoscyphus fraxineaus) in Ireland was made on 12th October 2012 at a forestry plantation site which had been planted in 2009 with trees imported from continental Europe. In March 2013, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine introduced a Reconstitution Scheme (Chalara Ash Dieback) to restore forests...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: As Deputies may be aware the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022. The new Programme will benefit farmers, rural communities and our overall climate and environment. The new Programme is subject to State Aid approval under the Guidelines from the EU Commission. It is also subject to an...