Results 12,401-12,420 of 18,496 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Aquaculture Licences: Aquaculture Licences (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: This concerns a Letter of Formal Notice received from the Commission on 5th May 2010 indicating that Ireland has not adequately implemented measures necessary to comply with the judgement of the European Court of Justice in case C-66/06, Commission v Ireland. Specifically, the Commission wants Ireland to apply the criteria in Annex 3 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive...

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is caused by a viral infection of cattle. The virus is called Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus. It is not a notifiable disease under the Diseases of Animals Act. Where individual problems occur, whether in relation to notifiable or non-notifiable diseases, as they do from time to time on farms, the Veterinary Laboratory Service of my Department is available to...

Written Answers — Farm Incomes: Farm Incomes (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: EUROSTAT report that agricultural income per annual work unit fell by 11.6% in the EU in 2009. This figure varied from –32.2% in Hungary to +7.8% in Malta. Ireland was one of 21 Member States that reported a decrease in income per annual work units, while only six counties reported an increase in income. The fall in factor income in 2009 was mainly attributed to a sharp fall (-10.5%) in...

Written Answers — Beef Industry: Beef Industry (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department publishes statistics each year on the national cattle population in the annual AIM Bovine Statistics report. The report for 2009 has recently been published and contains detailed information on many aspects of the beef and dairy herd. The total number of calf births in the country has been relatively stable over the last number of years, at just over 2 million calves each year,...

Written Answers — Food Imports: Food Imports (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: Based on CSO provisional statistics, Bord Bia estimate that the value of food imports (excluding live animals) from the UK declined by six per cent in 2009 from €2.4billion euro to €2.3billion euro, by contrast with an increase in 2008 of almost 20%. In volume terms, imports did increase in 2009, primarily due to the weakness of sterling. Almost half of these imports would be classified...

Written Answers — Agri-Environment Options Scheme: Agri-Environment Options Scheme (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: There has been significant interest in the Agri-Environment Options Scheme since it opened for applications on 30 March 2010. The closing date for receipt of applications was Monday 17 May 2010 and at close of business on that day some 4,400 applications had been submitted to my Department's office at Johnstown Castle Estate in Wexford. However, given the short time frame for submitting...

Written Answers — Sheep Production: Sheep Production (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The sheep sector is a valuable part of the economy with two-thirds of its product destined for export and its future dependant on its ability to meet the needs of the market. I have always acknowledged this fact and have developed a strategy to provide specific supports to the sector. Last year, on a once-off basis, I introduced the Uplands Sheep Payment, worth €7 million, availing of...

Written Answers — Agri-Environment Options Scheme: Agri-Environment Options Scheme (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: There has been significant interest in the Scheme since it opened for applications on 30 March 2010. The closing date for receipt of applications was Monday 17 May 2010 and at close of business on that day some 4,400 applications had been submitted to my Department's office at Johnstown Castle Estate in Wexford. However, given the short time frame for submitting applications, and in order to...

Written Answers — Common Agricultural Policy: Common Agricultural Policy (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: I support the continuation of a two-pillar structure. My view is that the core purpose of pillar 1 funding is to provide income support to farmers to allow them to maintain family farming and to produce food competitively in an environmentally sustainable manner. In this context, there is a direct link between the income stabilisation role of direct payments and the market stabilisation...

Written Answers — Trade Negotiations: Trade Negotiations (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: I conveyed our Government's serious reservations about the decision to re-engage in negotiations with Mercosur directly to Commissioner Ciolos when I spoke to him on Monday, 17 May. In my discussion with him, I expressed our deep concerns over the decision to re launch the negotiations and the threat which these negotiations could pose for Irish and European agriculture, at a time of great...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: Bord Bia hosted the recent Food and Drink Summit – "Building Ireland's largest indigenous industry" – at Farmleigh House on Thursday, 6th May. The summit marked the culmination of a process whereby Bord Bia, in co-operation with Harvard Business School, had engaged with the leaders of the Irish food and drink industry to develop proposals to inform the 2020 agri-food sector strategy...

Written Answers — Agri-Environment Options Scheme: Agri-Environment Options Scheme (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: My Department has submitted proposals to the European Commission for a number of amendments to the provisions for the Agri-Environment Options/Natura Scheme under the revised Rural Development Programme, 2007–13. The proposals are being pursued as a matter of urgency but, in accordance with regulatory procedures, the Commission is permitted a period of four months in which to deliberate...

Written Answers — On-farm Investment Schemes: On-farm Investment Schemes (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: Under the final agreement on the Health Check of the CAP Ireland secured access to additional funds of €25 million annually from unspent CAP funds for three year from 2010. Following wide consultation with interested stakeholders and having regard to the provisions of the Regulations, I decided to allocate the funds to three schemes, details of which I announced over the last number of...

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Supplementary Budget introduced by the Minister for Finance in April 2009 reduced the funding available for the Forestry programme in 2009 and difficult decisions were taken by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to make the maximum use of these funds. Maintaining an active afforestation programme was an important consideration in this decision-making process given its...

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: A total of 29,376 applications were received for participation in REPS 4 for payment in 2009. The acceptance of REPS 4 applications is governed by EU Regulations which require exhaustive administrative checks and on-the-spot inspections. In a significant number of the applications received, the administrative checks raised issues and queries which required further detailed examination. My...

Written Answers — Common Fisheries Policy: Common Fisheries Policy (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The European Commission issued a Green Paper on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in April 2009 and sought responses to their proposals. Minister Killeen, who had responsibility for the Fisheries portfolio at that time, appointed Dr. Noel Cawley to chair a nationwide public consultation process. The result of these consultations contributed in no small way to Ireland's response...

Written Answers — Cereal Sector: Cereal Sector (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: It is important that producers and merchants continue to explore ways in which harvest prices can be determined in advance to allow for cost-effective forward planning by all sectors of the industry. Grain prices are strongly influenced by both the world and EU markets and indeed Ireland accounts for around only 1% or so of the EU market. The maintenance of an efficient and viable crops...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Renewed Programme for Government contains a specific commitment to "implement a Code of Practice for doing business in the Grocery Goods sector to develop a fair trading relationship between retailers and their suppliers" and "to review progress of the Code and if necessary to put in place a mandatory code". The Government will give effect to this commitment by including a specific...

Written Answers — Fishing Industry Development: Fishing Industry Development (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: Under the National Seafood Development Operational Programme 2007-2013 capital funding of €1.5m has been allocated for fish processing. However a delay has been experienced in the adoption of the Programme due to concerns raised by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources regarding environmental issues...

Written Answers — Common Agricultural Policy: Common Agricultural Policy (26 May 2010)

Brendan Smith: The Commission has developed a template for calculating the costs of implementing EU funded schemes under the Common Agricultural Policy for the purposes of showing comparisons between Member States. The comparison shows that the administrative costs in Ireland are significantly lower than the EU average. The latest data submitted for the purposes of the EU comparison shows that the cost to...