Results 8,941-8,960 of 23,978 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I have confidence that we will reach it, if not necessarily this year. We need to do everything we can to get there. It is very important for our climate change targets, for farmers’ income diversification and for providing raw materials to displace other more carbon intensive materials, for example, in the building industry. We will get there and we have to drive on as hard as we...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Is that for total seafood sales?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The figure for 2020 is just under €1 billion. The figure for 2019 is slightly higher but I do not have it to hand. The financial provision we are providing in the Estimates this year as an investment in the seafood sector is significantly higher across most programmes, whether capital or current.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I echo the expressions of condolences. Former Deputy Noel Treacy was a very fine public representative and man. He was a former Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food. I pass on my condolences to all of his family and the family of the late Mrs. Kitt.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes, Brexit has been a key driver of many of the transport controls. To which specific controls is the Deputy referring?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes, Brexit is the reason. Since Brexit, there has been a significant increase in demand for a number of certifications, health certifications and phytosanitary controls. When we put together the 2020 output target we worked off estimates of what the impacts from Brexit might be. We have a much better line of sight now, having gone through a year of the post-Brexit situation, of actual...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It does. We have import requirements under which certification is required for goods coming into the EU. We must manage those at our border entry points. The other challenge is when certification in respect of exports to the UK will commence. Two or three times in 2021, deadlines that had been set were then moved out. They have moved out again into this year. Our figures are based on...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes, we do. We have put a lot of preparation into being ready for that. There has been significant engagement with food business operators on what their needs will be and in trying to give line of sight of the arrangements that will be in place when the new import controls come in. We have had time to reassign staff because of the delays and there are other staff who would be in a position...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I am happy to make a short comment.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I will make a short comment. Obviously the Northern Ireland protocol is important and essential to the flow of goods from north to south and east to west. It is important that diplomatic efforts continue to ensure it works well. I will continue to do all I can to work North and South. I will continue to support the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, in his engagements at...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It has had an impact. The reduced efficacy of the programme over the previous years had an impact and reduced our contribution from the EU to the programme. Thankfully, last year was the first year we saw the figures increase again. I cannot tell the Deputy offhand how that will impact on the future contribution from the EU in support of the programme, but certainly any deterioration in the...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I do not have that figure to hand, but I can forward it to the Deputy after the meeting. Two impacts have arisen from the increasing cost of the eradication programme over the past couple of years. The first is the fact that the EU contribution has been reducing and the second is that the higher incidence rates are leading to increased costs to the national Exchequer. Not only do we have...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: They continue to be ongoing and we continue to raise issues at European level. The freer the interaction is between this island and our neighbouring island, the better it will be across all ranges of goods, including all food types. There is a challenge in that Britain is now a third country and, therefore, third-country rules apply. That means that seed potatoes, many of which had...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It is very much within the industry's capacity to do that. I am looking at the means by which we can support that through investment, but it is within the industry's grasp to provide that certainty and to build up relationships. I have said very clearly to it that it should do that. I will very much support it in doing so.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I do. As of 21 January, we had 3,597 licences on hand for more than 120 days. The total number on hand was 4,637. That is a reduction of 1,400 since last August. We have seen the-----

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It is strong and is gathering momentum every month. We will keep making progress.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The stakeholder group under Project Woodland is looking at that. There has always been a gap between the number of afforestation licences issued and the number that then proceed to plantation, but it is important that is looked at. It is being considered as part of the Project Woodland review work. On the issue of the Department moving forward with those files, it is contacting farmers who...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes. This is being done in particular to ensure we can maximise the percentage. Each application takes a great deal of work and it makes sense to work on applications that applicants want to proceed with. The Department is double-checking that they intend to continue and want that work done, which makes sense, to ensure then the percentage is as high as possible. The figure for those...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I do not believe we have done that but I will certainly take up Deputy Carthy's suggestion and pass it on to the Minister of State, Senator Hackett.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Teagasc allocation increased by approximately €10 million in the 2022 Estimate. Last year, the total grant to Teagasc was €145 million, €139 million of which was for current expenditure. Its allocation has increased by approximately €8 million this year to €152.5 million. The biggest part of that increase, of which €3 million is current...