Results 12,341-12,360 of 23,989 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

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

Charlie McConalogue: Following many successful years of reducing bovine TB levels to the benefit of Irish farmers, there has been a concerning incremental increase in the disease since 2016. This has continued in 2020 with further increases in herd incidence and reactor numbers observed. Herd incidence (on a 12-month rolling basis) has breached 4% for the first time since 2012 and reactor numbers have exceeded...

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

Charlie McConalogue: The table below details the number of herds experiencing a new restriction, due to bovine TB, since 1st January each year, by county over the past 10 years to date and the number of reactors related to these restrictions. While TB disease is low relative to historical levels, the number of new restrictions and reactor numbers have been gradually increasing since 2016. The pace of...

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

Charlie McConalogue: Animal health in Ireland is regulated under both EU legislation and national legislation. The Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 obliges anyone who has an animal in his or her possession or control to safeguard its health and welfare. The Act introduced control and enforcement procedures such as Fixed Payment Notices and Animal Health and Welfare Notices. AHW Notices may be issued both as...

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

Charlie McConalogue: The availability of veterinary services in rural areas is a matter that my Department has been reviewing in the context of the National Farmed Animal Health Strategy. From the latest available figures, registered practitioner numbers in Ireland grew from 2,473 in 2015 to 2,907 in 2019 representing an increase of 15%. Over the same period, there has been an increase of more than 35...

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

Charlie McConalogue: Brexit presents very serious challenges for the agri-food and fisheries sectors, despite the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) reached between the EU and the UK. While the TCA avoids the worst outcomes of a No Deal Brexit - notably tariffs and the complete exclusion of our fishing vessels from UK waters - there are very significant concerns about the impact of the agreement on the...

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

Charlie McConalogue: The CSO's Livestock Survey (June) includes the information below for the years 2010-2019: (000 head) Total cattle Dairy cows Other cows 2010 6,607 1,071 1,158 2011 6,493 1,117 1,123 2012 6,754 1,141 1,149 2013 6,903 ...

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

Charlie McConalogue: Data on the national herd is published twice yearly by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), on the basis of two categories; dairy and other cows. The following tables detail the number of dairy cows in Ireland using final data extracted from the CSO June Livestock Surveys for 2019. Figures presented have been rounded to the nearest decimal point. CSO Livestock Survey June 2019: ...

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

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 346 and 349 together. It is too early to gauge the full impact of Brexit on meat and dairy trade since the trade deal struck between the EU and UK in late December 2020, though it is clear that without the deal, the situation would be a lot more challenging. My officials monitor prices and export levels on an ongoing basis to identify any new developments....

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

Charlie McConalogue: The facilities at the central laboratory complex in Backweston and at regional laboratories are capable of meeting the vast majority of my Department’s analytical and diagnostic requirements in the animal health, plant health and food safety areas, hosting of over 30 National Reference Laboratories within these disciplines. The laboratory facilities at Backweston are state-of-the-art...

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

Charlie McConalogue: Despite significant challenges in 2020 arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, Irish dairy exports performed strongly with total export value of €4.653 billion and volume of 1.460 million tonnes for 2020 up to the end of November, according to CSO trade data. This compares with the same period in 2019 with equivalent dairy exports worth €4.683 billion and 1.494 million tonnes with...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (11 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Programme for Government commits to rewarding farmers for adapting to more sustainable methods of farming and to the development of a new agri-environment scheme capable of delivering broad environmental and biodiversity benefits that will align financial supports with climate objectives. To advance this objective, funding has been made available for an agri-environment pilot project. It...

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

Charlie McConalogue: The rules on the registration and identification of goats across the EU are governed by Council Regulation 21/2004, as transposed into national legislation via S.I. 792/2005 (as amended). These rules are implemented through the National Goat Identification System (NGIS). The NGIS sets out the rules and keeper responsibilities in the areas of goat herd registration, animal identification, the...

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

Charlie McConalogue: Under the Control of Dogs Act 1986 (as amended), local authorities have responsibility for the management of dog pounds. This legislation falls under the Department of Rural and Community Development. The responsibility for the inspection of Dog Pounds falls to the appropriate local authority veterinary inspectorate. Separately, my Department provides annual funding in support of a number of...

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

Charlie McConalogue: My Department follows up on all complaints and notifications received concerning animal welfare. Many of these calls come in through the Animal Welfare Helpline where members of the public can contact my officials by phone or via a dedicated email address AnimalWelfare@agriculture.gov.ie. Investigations are carried out by officers authorised under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, who...

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

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 354 and 355 together. The Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Animals) Regulations (SI 681 of 2019) came into effect on 1st February 2020. To date, 318 sellers and suppliers have been entered on the Register of Sellers and Suppliers of Pet Animals in that intervening period and their premises have been entered on the Register of Premises. Extracts...

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

Charlie McConalogue: The share allocation of stocks between Member States was established as a principle of the first Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 1983 and was based on the average catch of each Member State over a period of reference years (track record). The only exception to this relates to the Hague Preferences, on the basis of a special recognition agreement of the underdeveloped nature of the Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Scheme Eligibility (10 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Green Cert Programme continues to attract strong interest from the farming community, which I very much welcome, in terms of supporting generational renewal and improving education standards. Demand is also underpinned by the range of additional scheme supports and tax incentives targeted at young trained farmers who have successfully completed the Green Cert. My Department continues...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Covid-19 Tests (10 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: The Health Services Executive (HSE) currently organises SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing of the workforce in the larger food and meat processing plants (those which have 50 workers or more on site) on a four-weekly schedule. My Department has been assisting HSE in evaluating the use of rapid antigen detections tests (RADT) for SARS-CoV-2 as a risk management tool in food businesses. This validation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Licence Applications (10 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: An application for a tree felling licence for the person named was received in January 2019 and has been referred to my Department’s Ecology Unit. The application site is near eight designated sites, the Ballyseedy Wood SAC. Therefore, the impact of any felling operations on the sites and the surrounding area must be carefully considered before deciding on the licence application. ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Protected Disclosures (10 Feb 2021)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department’s Protected Disclosures Policy and Procedures safeguard the confidentiality of any discloser. For this reason, I do not propose to comment on whether any matter is, or is not, subject to an evaluation or investigation by this Department. However, for the sake of completeness and accuracy, the Deputy should be aware that the Workplace Relations Commission's...