Results 12,861-12,880 of 23,989 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Bluefin tuna is a highly migratory large pelagic species which spawns in the Mediterranean, and then migrates over a wide area of the North East Atlantic to feed.  This migration brings some of the fish into the Irish 200 miles zone for part of the year. At the time we see fish in the Irish zone there are also fish being caught in the international high seas  and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department owns, operates and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres, under statute. In addition, my Department also has responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of North Harbour at Cape Clear, as well as the maintenance of a small number of specific piers, lights and beacons throughout Ireland, in accordance with the Marine Works (Ireland) Act 1902, and piers,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Seaweed Harvesting (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage is responsible for considering applications under the Foreshore Act 1933 for the harvesting of seaweed.  I have no function in the matter. Community groups involved in harvesting of seaweed may be eligible for financial support from the seven Fisheries Local Action Groups operating under my Department's European Maritime and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 468, 469, 470 and 471 together. There are certain stocks for which ICES (the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas) has issued scientific advice for no catches.  However, the Landing Obligation requires that if these stocks are caught, even as a by-catch, they must be landed.  These by-catch stocks in the Celtic Sea, the Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fisheries Protection (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The monitoring and control of fishing vessels within Ireland’s Exclusive Fisheries Zone are law enforcement matters for the Irish control authorities.Under the Sea Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, all operational matters are exclusively the responsibility of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) and the Naval Service.  Under the Act,  I am...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Meat Processing Plants (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Environmental monitoring (bio-aerosol measurement) has not been undertaken in any meat processing plant other than that which was undertaken as part of a retrospective investigation (in late July/early August) in the pilot study plant, in which a COVID-19 outbreak had occured in April 2020. However, it should be noted that the report of this pilot study has been shared with other...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Meat Processing Plants (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The referenced pilot study involved the voluntary participation and co-operation of a single meat processing plant, which included sharing a significant amount of information of a commercially sensitive nature about operational processes within that plant. The pilot study was undertaken on the understanding that a report would be shared with other meat plant operators, the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Meat Processing Plants (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department’s statutory responsibility in the context of meat plants is to ensure that the DAFM approved plants operate in compliance with the EU's food hygiene legislation, animal health and animal welfare standards.  Within my Department, approximately 250 Veterinary and Technical staff are routinely involved in supervising, regulating and controlling the food safety,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Equipment (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Department veterinary staff have many different functions within the Regional Veterinary Office and Veterinary Public Health work, including disease eradication, animal exports, public health, food safety, animal welfare, animal remedies and other regulatory duties.  Some of these duties have paper-based aspects.  Many of these duties are supported by IT systems. ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations (SI 605 2017) and the amended regulation SI 529 2020 are the responsibility of the Department of Housing, Planning Local Government and Heritage. The amended regulation clarifies the requirement first published in 2017 that  “Where bovine livestock have direct access to watercourses from the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Teagasc Activities (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department has been working closely with Teagasc to develop Covid related supports for Teagasc learners that are broadly similar to those recently announced by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for the wider education sector. The supports include a Teagasc Learner Laptop Assistance Scheme to assist disadvantaged Teagasc learners with...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sheep Welfare Scheme (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: The Sheep Welfare Scheme was launched in December 2016, for a period of four years.  The scheme reflected the commitment of the Government to the sheep sector in Ireland and was introduced as part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme.  Under the terms and conditions of the scheme, applicants were assigned a reference number based on the average of the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Safety (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: As part of the package of new farm safety measures in Budget 2021, €1m in funding has been provided to support ‘locally-led’ farm safety initiatives (EIP).  This EIP is being run in a two-stage process.  Stage one of the call for proposals on Farm Health, Safety and Wellbeing has just been launched by Minister of State, Martin Heydon, with a closing date...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department receives forestry licence applications and issues decisions every week of the year. This means there is a constant turnover of applications at various stages of processing.  Licensing output is updated to stakeholders, including the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and the Marine, through a dashboard. The purpose of the dashboard is to summarise the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I can confirm that certain professional fees are paid by my Department, primarily in instances where such fees are a prerequisite to ongoing qualification to practice in the role. A key area in this regard is with respect of Veterinary Practitioners employed by my Department, whereby relevant professional fees are paid by my Department to the Veterinary...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tuberculosis Eradication Programme (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 484 and 483 together. There is no legal definition of a feedlot herd.  The Department defines certain herds as Controlled Finishing Units in the context of the Bovine TB Eradication Programme.  This definition is unique to that programme and does not necessarily mirror definitions of the term "feedlot" as proscribed by the public...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Meat Processing Plants (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 485 and 486 together. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1184 of 20 April 2017 governs the monitoring of carcase classification, carcase presentation and weighing. To date in 2020, officers from the Carcase Classification Division of my Department have conducted 405 inspections across 32 factories. There were 302 inspections in factories where...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Diseases (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department completed a seroprevalence survey for Mycoplasma Bovis in the dairy herd in 2018, and had previously undertaken a survey for M. bovis as part of a post mortem study on weaned animals in 2017.  The latter study did not differentiate between feedlot and extensively-produced beef cattle. Animal Health Ireland provides advice on its website for the prevention and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Meat Processing Plants (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: All slaughter plants whose meat is destined for human consumption must meet the requirements set out in detailed EU regulations relating to food safety and animal health and welfare. Installation of CCTV at slaughter establishments is not a mandatory regulatory requirement. Where slaughter establishments do have CCTV in place, access to CCTV footage is a private matter between the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (10 Dec 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.  The Irish Retired Greyhound Trust...