Results 12,321-12,340 of 23,989 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (17 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy will be aware, there is a commitment in the Programme for Government to the establishment of a new authority, to be called the National Food Ombudsman (NFO) or similar, to enforce the Unfair Trading Practices (UTP) Directive. The new authority whose remit will include the beef sector, will have a specific role in analysing and reporting on price and market data in Ireland. It...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Imports (17 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Ireland exports more than 90% of the beef it produces amounting to approximately €1.9 billion in value terms in 2020. The total value of beef imports in 2020 was just under €130,000. The table below shows the latest figures from the CSO for beef imports to Ireland for the period requested. Jan-Dec 2018 Jan-Dec 2019 ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Environmental Efficiency Scheme (17 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The objective of the Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot (BEEP), which was piloted in 2019, was to further increase economic and environmental efficiency in the suckler herd through better quality data on herd performance supporting decision making on farm. The key measure of the scheme is aimed at measuring weaning efficiency and this objective determines the timing of weighing. The 2019...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Contracts (17 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not entered into contracts for public relations advice or consultancy in 2021.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ministerial Communications (17 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: To date, I have not had contact with my US counterpart, as the position of Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has not been formally filled. In December 2020, then President-elect Biden announced that he would nominate Mr. Tom Vilsack to serve as the Secretary of Agriculture. On 2nd February 2021, Mr. Vilsack appeared before the US Senate Agriculture Committee...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Sport Ireland (17 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I am aware that Horse Sport Ireland is considering re-locating to a new site as part of the establishment of a new headquarters and a national centre of excellence. HSI is a company limited by guarantee. It is not a State Body established by legislation and it is operationally independent of my Department. The location of a site for its headquarters is a matter for its Board. It would...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (17 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: In relation to peat extraction, my Department has no involvement in its regulation. This is a planning process under the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and an Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) license process, under the remit of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. Regarding the future use of peat moss in the horticulture...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (17 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The next meeting of the Beef Taskforce is due to be held next month, the exact date to be confirmed. It will be held virtually as was the case with the previous three meetings, given the current public health restrictions. The main item on the agenda will be an update from Grant Thornton on the transparency studies commissioned as part of the Beef Sector Agreement, which are reaching a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming Scheme (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: This person is fully up to date with all his payments due under the Organic Farming Scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: There are a number of measures in place intended to ensure that payments and grants are prioritised to small and medium sized farms. Within Pillar I of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) has a number of measures in place in this regard. Convergence is a mechanism whereby the value of payment entitlements move away from historic reference points towards...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Diseases (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: There may be certain circumstances where the removal of animals due to TB can be taken into account by the Department when calculating the nitrates reduction target that must be reached under the Beef Emergency Aid Scheme (BEAM). Each case will be looked at individually. If the individual concerned wishes to have the nitrates reduction figure reviewed, he should write to the Beef...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Covid-19 Tests (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department of Health and the HSE are the competent authorities in matters relating to public health.My Department continues to contribute to the HSE-chaired National Outbreak Control Team as part of the whole-of-Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is supporting the HSE in the context of local outbreak teams, overseeing a programme of serial testing of workers at larger food...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Covid-19 Pandemic (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) is a commercial state body established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, and is responsible for the overall administration, promotion and development of the horse racing industry. Government has requested that Point to Point racing be discontinued under current regulations relating to COVID-19. HRI has informed this Department that this request is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ministerial Correspondence (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I am aware of the issues raised in this and previous correspondence from the persons named. These matters have been fully examined on a number of occasions by officials in my Department. All previous investigations have concluded that the issues raised, which were the subject of a Circuit Court adjudication in 2002, are a private matter between the persons named and a third party. I wish to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Biodiversity Strategy (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I fully recognise that the Farm to Fork Strategy and the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy are very ambitious and challenging. They do, however, provide a very clear pathway for delivering on the ambitions within the EU Green Deal to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050, and Ireland, just like all other Member States, will be required to contribute to achieving this vision. I have...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Land Issues (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department and its legal representatives have continued to prioritise bringing this matter to a conclusion and the preparation of closing documents in relation to the transfer by the Department has been completed. The Department's legal representatives forwarded the closing documents to the solicitors for the purchasers last week.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Young Farmers Scheme (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Young Farmers Scheme and the separate and distinct ‘young farmer’ priority category of the National Reserve were introduced under Pillar I of the reformed CAP in 2015 to provide support to young farmers in the initial period following the commencement of their agricultural activities. In line with the EU Regulations governing the operation of the Young Farmers Scheme,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) provided temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland, subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132. BEAM was funded by a combination of EU aid and Exchequer support. It was provided to support Irish beef farmers who saw beef prices fall in light of market disturbance. ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Issues (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 336 and 337 together. The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement will, unfortunately, have a negative impact on our fishing industry. However, this impact would have been far greater had the Barnier Task Force agreed to UK demands or had we been in a no-deal scenario which would have seen all EU vessels barred from UK waters and subsequent displacement...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Supports (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: In the context of both the proposed EU Brexit Adjustment Reserve and of the EU co-funded Seafood Development Programme 2021-27 being prepared by my Department at present under the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, I am exploring a variety of possible measures to support our sector with the impacts of the quota transfers to the UK agreed under the Trade and Cooperation...