Results 9,561-9,580 of 23,978 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy. I know how important tracks are to each area. They are fondly regarded and a key part of the character of the areas in which they are located. Overall, it is a matter for Rásaíocht Con Éireann to consider and manage. The Department asked NewERA to produce a report on Rásaíocht Con Éireann's financial situation and the health and future of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Kehoe and the Chair. The first point Deputy Kehoe made was on the importance of integrity and the highest standards in oversight in the racing industry. We all agree that is critical. Maintenance of the highest standards is essential to the future of the industry and the sector. I know from the committee's report that it found that the testing regime and the systems in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I will ask the assistant secretary, Dr. Kevin Smith, to go through the process in respect of the assessments that have been made and the engagements that are in place to work out the requirement and the final funding allocation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: As Deputy Carthy has said, it is open to the Minister to change that at any time but the two industries can be subject to similar challenges. There are lots of similarities between them and the last year to 18 months speaks to that in relation to the impact of Covid. Both industries are very much subject to race attendances and have very similar models in that regard. By and large, in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: This is something that Deputy Carthy raised at the committee last year as well, when he made the same point. Indeed, he has also brought it up in debates in the Dáil. A key driver behind the health and pre-eminence of the sector nationally is that we are able to compete in terms of horse racing. The competitions that take place attract international horses and ensure that right...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: It is really important that we support all sectors. HRI is aware of that and has ongoing and continuous engagement with all stakeholders and all of those involved at all levels within horse racing. It is important that all levels are supported because the next level depends very much on the health of the level underneath it and on the foundation levels, going right back to the small...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for his questions. I acknowledge this is in one of the submissions that he has made as part of his report on traceability, and it is certainly something I will reflect on further. HRI is working with Weatherbys Ireland and the IHRB to develop a comprehensive thoroughbred database to improve traceability via improved Weatherbys' e-passport functionality, and that work is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: To respond to the earlier point about public investment in HRI, as the Deputy will know, this year funding has been set at €70.4 million. The Deloitte report was published in 2017. It showed that the industry is worth €1.84 billion to the economy and is responsible for 28,500 jobs. The Government has a national funding commitment of €70.4 million this year, which is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I will pass the views the Senator expressed about vets not attending non-official trials to Rásaíocht Con Éireann for consideration.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I will pass on the concerns of the Senator to Rásaíocht Con Éireann for review. Obviously, there is a system in place whether it is sports in which humans participate, such as local matches, county matches or whatever. In some places we would have doctors present, but not at more local matches. It does not mean that medical care is not sought when somebody has an injury....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I will pass the Senator's views to Rásaíocht Con Éireann for its views and consideration. Whenever one transpose this to things in which we would participate ourselves, one can have different attitudes. For example, for county GAA teams, a doctor will be in attendance at training and matches.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Until 2020, no such fund was in place. Significant progress has been made on this matter. Plans are afoot to expand the scheme. Under the care fund, a range of care and welfare initiatives were introduced, including incentivising the rehoming of greyhounds through additional supports provided by the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust. Financial supports are also provided by rehoming agencies....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Does Ms Ball know the answer to that question? We will check that and revert to the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Dr. Smyth might take that question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Individual local authorities play a role with respect to animal welfare where horses are found abandoned. In the vast majority of such cases, the horses will not be microchipped. If they were, there would be a capacity to identify the responsible owner.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Chairman for the invitation to speak to the committee on the nitrates directive and Ireland's forthcoming 2022 nitrates action programme. In addition to Mr. Nolan, I am joined by Dr. Kevin Smyth, assistant secretary. It is important to highlight in the first instance that the regulations governing the nitrates action programme are the responsibility of my colleague, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for his very good question. As a Minister, you have to be a Jack of all trades but not necessarily a master of all.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Thankfully, within the Department there are people who are top of this detail and who serve this sector well. Mr. Jack Nolan, who is with me today, is the Department's lead on the nitrates action programme. I will ask him to come in on the Deputy's questions and the detail he is seeking.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I believe it is possible and compatible to have the nitrates derogation and improvements in water quality. The objective behind putting in place stringent criteria and conditions in the awarding of the derogation to any one farmer is to ensure farmers apply the additional nitrogen and achieve a higher stocking rate in a way that effectively manages that nutrient and that resource so that it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Leddin. I will ask Mr. Nolan to come in in a second again. I reiterate what I said. In terms of all farming types and all farming practices right across the sector, we have to be determined to ensure that water quality is central to what we do, to ensure that it improves over the time ahead and to ensure that from an agricultural point of view our practice does not...