Results 101-120 of 4,472 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Diseases (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: If a badger is examined and tested and is found to have TB, then for its own sake it needs to be culled as well as to stop the spread of the disease to other badgers, bovines and others within the community. Vaccination has a role to play but the vaccination process we have used to date has not worked to the same extent. I will be very clear. There are three causes of the spread of this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Diseases (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: A series of my proposals would be around changing how we deal with the current vaccination approach. The current approach has been vaccinating without testing the animal. We can now test a badger and have a result within about ten minutes. There are challenges to that on the bovine side. Where an animal tests positive, for its own sake and the sake of everyone else in the sett and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Solar Energy Guidelines (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this point on behalf of Deputy O'Connor. Deputy O'Connor has spoken directly to me on this point previously regarding his concerns in Cork. The programme for Government has committed to introduce planning guidelines for solar farms and to provide certainty in the development of solar energy. Issues regarding planning fall under the remit of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Industry (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. As she will be aware, the independent Agri-Food Regulator, established under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023, performs two key functions: it enforces the law on unfair trading practices, and it performs a price and market analysis and reporting function. The regulator has, since its establishment at the end of 2023, been...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Industry (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I want to do this as quickly as possible while also being respectful of a process that involves consultation, engagement with all sides and me listening to the concerns of the industry. The industry has concerns over how the information could be distorted by competitors abroad. The regulation applies only to our domestic market and we export 90% of the food and drink that we produce. These...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Industry (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Section 12(3)(d) of the Act allows the regulator to seek data impacting on price and margins from businesses within the agricultural and food supply chain. The data include, but are not limited to, prices paid and received and margins. This answers the Deputy’s question in this regard. I do not want any suggestion to land that the Agri-Food Regulator is not able to operate. It...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Diseases (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The overall response to TB is to address all elements of its spread. There are three key contributors: wildlife, its control, and the interaction of wildlife with bovines; cattle-to-cattle transmission; and residual transmission in the herd. As we know, herd incidence has increased from 4.3% in 2022 to 6.04% in 2024, resulting in a 36% increase in the number of herds restricted between...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I did not say that.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I did not say that. The Deputy should not attribute comments to me about staffing issues. I have been very clear here; we have had a very significant challenge with processing and working through all of these issues. Some farmers were not paid on time. When I came into this job on 23 January, 14,500 farmers who were due to be paid had not been paid because of challenges we had in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I believe we have made progress. I cannot be any clearer; I will not rest until every last farmer is paid. I will continue to push my officials and push the system as hard as possible to work through those last issues. The last issues are also the most difficult. To be at 99%, 97% and 94% of payments through the different cohorts is significant progress. We have made a commitment that...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pigmeat Sector (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Government strongly condemns any cruelty or mistreatment of any animal. It is my Department's policy to investigate all allegations of illegal or criminal behaviour and to prepare files for appropriate action. We have very robust animal welfare legislation in this country. The welfare of all animals, in particular those in intensively reared systems such as pigs, is a priority for my...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pigmeat Sector (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I repeat that the Government strongly condemns any cruelty or mistreatment of any animal. We carry out risk-based assessments. We also carry out investigations into any allegations of illegal or criminal behaviour and we prepare files for the Director of Public Prosecutions, as appropriate. That is a strong priority of my Department. We take that responsibility very seriously. I want to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I hope the Deputy always expects a good answer, not just to one question. I thank him very much for raising the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES. The scheme is very important. I accept that there are challenges in regard to it for some farmers. ACRES is the flagship environmental scheme provided under the 2023-27 CAP strategic plan, with €1.5 billion in Exchequer and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Animal Diseases (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I want to provide that clarity as soon as possible and to restore confidence in this scheme. The final set of proposals I bring forward will be the biggest change in our approach to TB in the 75 years the disease has been in this country. I have held discussions and meetings that have fed into the TB plan, which I intend to finalise the details of and publish shortly. At a Cabinet meeting...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Pigmeat Sector (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I thank Deputy Murphy for raising this important topic. There is EU and national legislation in place to protect the welfare of pigs. It sets out detailed requirements for pigs, including, for example, requirements for minimum space, feeding and watering of pigs, environmental enrichment, lighting and noise levels. Regarding sow stalls and farrowing crates, the legislation allows for sows...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tillage Sector (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I concur and agree with the Deputy that we want to see growth in the tillage sector. After two really hard years, I am very heartened to see a slight increase on last year in the area under arable and tillage crops. In the face of two horrendous years, it has stabilised. This year is difficult. Futures prices for the sector are still very challenging. It is the one sector of agriculture...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tillage Sector (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: At the end of the day, we continue to have those supports in place. There is strong co-operation, €10 million for the protein aid scheme and the allocation of money for the intervention earlier this year. While that was to recognise last year's hardship, it came out of the budget for this year, which I have to manage for tillage and all other sectors. I will continue to work with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Animal Diseases (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. To answer his question directly, the last thing farmers need is a further increase in the spread of TB. That is the root cause of all of this stress and concern, which the Deputy has articulated very clearly and on which I completely agree with him. My job is to provide leadership and to bring farmers with us. Everybody is going to have...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Animal Diseases (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: While trying to bring people with us and minimise the impact on farmers, who are already extremely stressed, I have to ensure that we have a science-based approach and that what we do is backed up by science. There are three very clear causes of the spread of bovine TB: cattle-to-cattle transmission, residual transmission and wildlife. If we do not have a suite of measures that, when...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tillage Sector (3 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The tillage sector is an integral part of Irish farming and makes a really 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 report of the Food Vision 2030 tillage group, which was set up to set out a...