Results 15,781-15,800 of 18,645 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: We dealt with the REPS payments. I do not know if the Deputy was in at the time.

Grant Payments. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The suckler cow payments are processed from the Portlaoise office of the Department and I am not aware of people awaiting payments. In many instances the Department has been back to individual farmers clarifying aspects of the applications that were deficient, or whatever. The payments are issuing rapidly. If there is a query about a particular applicant we will check it out.

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The agreed rates of additional modulation will generate approximately €120 million in total over the four years from 2009-2012 in transfers from the single farm payment to rural development. These additional funds will stay in Ireland and be passed back to Irish farmers under the rural development programme. As such, the additional modulation represents a redistribution of money from the...

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: In line with the new regulations the funds must be used for measures to address the so-called "new challenges" of climate change, water management, bio-energy and biodiversity, dairy restructuring and innovation. The consultation process as to how these funds can best be used for the development of Irish agriculture is currently under way. It is also worth noting that more than 50,000 Irish...

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: With the existing modulation arrangements, the amount collected annually is €42.5 million. That modulation is in place up to 5%. With the new rates that will be applicable there will be an increase in modulation rate of 2% this year and 1% in 2010, 2011 and 2012. The additional funding that will be generated for the modulated fund will be €17 million this year, €25 million in 2010,...

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Up to now the modulated funds that were available, which were fairly small, went into the overall rural development programme. The Exchequer puts a substantial amount more into the rural development programme than the necessary requirement, because it is co-funded by the European Union. Deputy Doyle's point is correct in that there was an effort in the past to ensure the modulated funds...

Common Agricultural Policy. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The funding will remain in schemes operated by the Department, not outside bodies. For argument's sake, we could have a top-up in REPS which would consist of an extra measure, but the money will not go to agencies, projects or programmes that are outside the farm gate.

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Dairy farmers' incomes comprise the market price paid for milk and direct income support from the EU. Market forces have a significant and increasing influence on the price paid for milk. World market prices determine the returns received by dairy processors and these in turn are reflected in the price paid to farmers. In essence, farm gate prices normally reflect the returns from dairy...

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: With regard to dairy prices, as Deputy Collins knows and as I mentioned in my earlier comments, the dairy market has been volatile and things are difficult for producers and processors at present. We had good prices in 2007 but difficulties arose in 2008 due to the extra supply coming from New Zealand, turbulence in the global financial market and the lack of demand worldwide. New Zealand,...

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Deputy Creed is right. The market mechanism measures can take product off the market, thus giving it a boost. During the course of the health check, many countries argued that such measures should be much restricted and that the Commission should decide when they were invoked. We argued strongly for the need for the private storage system, the intervention system and the export refunds....

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy pinpoints the particular difficulties facing the market. Additional quota will be useful. The commodity price and this industry have suffered from cycles. We can suffer problems arising from the currency, which can be in our favour at times and against it at others, while in 2007 there was a drought in New Zealand which reduced production there. The US emerged as an exporter...

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: In response to Deputy Deasy, the market mechanism measures we discussed previously are European Union wide. Everybody knows the law of supply and demand — if there is over-supply or lack of demand, the producer is, unfortunately, the victim. That is happening with milk production today. We argued within the European Union, with some success, for the retention of aids to private storage,...

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The Deputy is well aware that we do not set the price. Deputy Crawford and I are from a constituency that has a huge dairy sector as well. People are working extremely hard.

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: We do not mandate any EU directive, as the Deputy is aware. He was chairman of the European affairs committee and he knows——

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Directives are implemented European Union wide; they are not mandated by me or by the Department. We must implement them when the decision is made.

Dairy Sector. (11 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: Does Deputy Deasy think——

Written Answers — Foreshore Licences: Foreshore Licences (10 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: My Department's Engineering Division has confirmed that the site in question does not encroach on State Foreshore. Accordingly, the matter of a foreshore lease does not arise. However if activity on the site requires access via the Foreshore, or if activity affects the Foreshore, a Foreshore licence will be required.

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (10 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: REPS 4 is a measure under the current Rural Development Programme 2007-13 and is subject to EU Regulations which require detailed administrative checks on all applications to be completed before the first payments issue. The first payments for 2008 REPS 4 applications issued in the last week of January to those whose applications required no correction following the administrative checks....

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (10 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: The number of REPS 4 applications for payment received in Mayo up to the closing date of 15 May 2008 was 1,066. The first payments for these cases issued in the last week of January to those whose applications required no correction following the administrative checks. Further payments continue to be made as applications are cleared. In total 51 REPS 4 payments have either issued or are...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (10 Feb 2009)

Brendan Smith: In respect of applications made under the Farm Waste Management Scheme, arrangements are being made in my Department's local offices for the return to farmers of original invoices as soon as possible to facilitate any such farmers who require those invoices to claim VAT refunds from the Office of the Revenue Commissioners.