Results 481-500 of 4,808 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. There is an indicative budget of €440 million available for the period 2021-2027, and all investments must be linked to Climate, Environment or Animal Welfare. Overall, a total of 45,274 applications were...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: It is a key responsibility of Government to raise Ireland's concerns with our EU partners and to influence EU policy. As set out in the Programme for Government, the Government will continue to work with EU institutions and Member States to ensure robust funding for the CAP so that it meets both new challenges and opportunities. The CAP has supported Irish farmers and rural development...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Supports (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grant aid to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings, many of which will assist in making farms more resilient in the face of future storms. Applications are currently being accepted for tranche 9 of the scheme, which includes investment items that were available...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Advancing the role of women in the agriculture sector is a key priority for me and was included in the Programme for Government. The delivery of the National Dialogue on Women in Agriculture and publication of an Action Plan arising from that dialogue were two major milestones in progressing this aim. The Women in Agriculture Working Group was established to oversee implementation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Diseases (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department provides a range of financial supports that focus on compensating farmers for both direct and indirect losses incurred as a result of a TB breakdown on the farm. The On Farm Market Valuation Scheme is the principal compensation measure available to herd-owners whose herds are affected by a bovine TB breakdown in their herd. The Scheme aims to compensate farmers up to the open...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Supports (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The new Programme for Government emphasises “supporting inter-generational farm succession.” Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the agri-food sector, highlights that ensuring generational renewal in farming is vital for the sector’s long-term viability and social sustainability in rural Ireland. Demographic challenges facing agriculture are not unique to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Bodies (3 Jul 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 Irish Grown Wool Council, nor does the Council report to me. To date, €25,910 of the allocated seed...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Wildlife Regulations (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Hill farming and the management of uplands comes with its own unique challenges. As Minister I fully appreciate that the mechanical methods of managing vegetation on low land may not be a practical option for many upland areas where tractors cannot travel to top or mulch strong vegetation. Controlled burning therefore has a role to play as part of an overall management package. However,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fisheries Protection (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputy for her question and I would like to stress that this Government is fully committed to maintaining support for our important inshore fishing sector and promoting the sustainability of fish stocks, as outlined in our Programme for Government. In December 2018, a transition period to a ban on vessels over 18 metres trawling in inshore waters, inside the six nautical...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Trade Sanctions (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: As a small, open economy, Ireland is sensitive to any change in global trading conditions. Therefore, any imposition of additional tariffs by the U.S. authorities will have the potential to pose significant challenges for Irish exporters of agri-food products to the US. The US is the second largest market for Irish agri-food exports, after the UK, with exports last year valued at almost...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Trade Agreements (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Since the announcement last December by the European Commission that it had concluded negotiations and agreed a new “additional instrument” with Mercosur, my Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and previously the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have been engaged in analysing this text. Throughout the negotiations, Ireland consistently...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Diseases (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Bovine TB is a challenging disease to control and eradicate. In recent years, bovine TB (bTB) levels have continued to deteriorate. Herd incidence has increased from 4.31% in 2022 to 6.04% in 2024, resulting in a 36% increase in the number of herds restricted between 2022 and 2024. As of 22nd June 2025, over a 12 month period we had a herd incidence of 6.43 % with over 43,455 reactors....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The new Programme for Government emphasises “supporting inter-generational farm succession.” Food Vision 2030, our shared strategy for the agri-food sector, highlights that ensuring generational renewal in farming is vital for the sector’s long-term viability and social sustainability in rural Ireland. Demographic challenges facing agriculture are not unique to Ireland;...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme or ACRES is the flagship environmental scheme provided under the 2023-2027 CAP Strategic Plan, with €1.5 billion in Exchequer and EU funding allocated over the course of the scheme. There are currently just under 54,000 participants in ACRES. Payments in respect of ACRES continue to issue on a weekly basis as cases pass all required...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regulatory Bodies (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Established on 13 December 2023, An Rialálaí Agraibhia, Ireland's Agri-Food Regulator, performs two principal functions: an enforcement function in relation to unfair trading practices in the agricultural and food supply chain and a price and market analysis function, aimed at ensuring more transparency and fairness throughout the agri-food supply chainThe Agri-Food Regulator has...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (3 Jul 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: Environmental Investigations (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: An action plan to address the challenges Lady's Island Lake is facing is being developed by Wexford County Council. My officials are contributing to that and my Department is committed to fully engaging with the local authority, all state agencies and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as we seek to address the challenges facing Lady's Island Lake. The Nitrates...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Diseases (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Bovine TB is a challenging disease to control and eradicate. In recent years, bovine TB (bTB) levels have continued to deteriorate. Herd incidence has increased from 4.31% in 2022 to 6.04% in 2024, resulting in a 36% increase in the number of herds restricted between 2022 and 2024. As of 22nd June 2025, over a 12 month period we had a herd incidence of 6.43 % with over 43,455 reactors....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Environmental Investigations (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report was published in January 2025, the focus of which was to understand the extent to which Lady’s Island Lake is affected by over-enrichment of waters with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and to explain how this occurred. The EPA’s findings indicate the lake is in poor ecological condition which is directly related to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Coillte was established as a commercial state company with private limited status under the Forestry Act, 1988, to become custodian and manager of the national forest estate. Coillte’s mandate is set out in Section 12 of the Forestry Act 1988 and provides, inter alia, that a principal object of the company is to carry on the business of forestry and related activities on a...