Results 17,741-17,760 of 18,645 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Grant Payments. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: There is provision in Towards 2016 to have a review of the terms of this scheme during 2008.

Grant Payments. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I am not familiar with the staffing levels of particular offices in County Cork but I will bring this matter to the attention of the Department's personnel section. Above all Departments, there has been a huge investment in technology in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in recent years. This has led to progress and efficiency and I am sure the programme will continue.

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I had a constructive meeting on Friday, 9 May with my French counterpart, Michel Barnier. We exchanged views on the ongoing WTO negotiations and it was clear that we had similar concerns about the lack of balance in the current situation and about the push for an early agreement, even though many important issues had yet to be resolved. Both of us had serious misgivings about the negative...

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Creed for his good wishes. I look forward to working with him and his colleagues in the Fine Gael Party, Deputy Sherlock and all Members in the best interests of Irish agriculture. The Falconer paper was published last night but I had to attend a Government meeting and did not have an opportunity to read it yet but my officials will work on that immediately. We will be...

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: First, the view within the European Commission is that there is probably no more than a 50-50 chance of a deal. The Commission has not sent out any particular message that a deal is imminent——

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I said the Commission. Deputy Creed's question referred to my meeting last Friday week with the French Minister. That was the first meeting I had outside the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food since I was appointed. I spent half a day with Minister Barnier, and we both met the Taoiseach subsequently to discuss this issue. There was a meeting yesterday with Minister Barnier and...

World Trade Negotiations. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Each member of the Government, be it the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Taoiseach, has taken every opportunity in every forum to express our concerns.

Food Shortages. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Increasing food prices and concerns regarding availability of food is a global situation, which is most severely affecting those people living in developing countries. This complex issue has many causes, including recurrent bad weather and changing and increasing food requirements among countries caused in particular by economic and population growth. There is also an increasing global...

Food Shortages. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I thank Deputy Sherlock for his good wishes and look forward to working with him and our colleagues on all sides of the House. We export 80% of the food we produce in Ireland. I was very glad that this particular issue was down for discussion yesterday at the Council of Ministers. It reinforces once again the particular issues raised by Deputy Sherlock as regards the importance of the...

Food Shortages. (20 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: We have been very strong supporters of the Common Agricultural Policy. We want it strengthened and improved because we realise its value to Europe and for the Irish economy, farming and the agri-food industry. We shall continue to highlight the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy. Perhaps we should also reflect on the fact that Ireland's overseas development aid has increased...

Written Answers — Pigmeat Sector: Pigmeat Sector (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Producer prices in each Member State are collated by the Commission and are already in the public domain. Transparency in the area of producer prices is highly desirable and is an important tool in the management of the common organisation of the pigmeat market. Prices at later stages of the marketing chain do not have that same function and are dependent on many variable factors such as...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named applied for consideration for an allocation under Category B of the 2005 National Reserve. Category B catered for farmers who made an investment in production capacity in a farming sector for which a direct payment under Livestock Premia and/or Arable Aid schemes would have been payable during the reference period 2000-2002. Investments can include purchase or long-term...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152, 161 and 162 together. The appointments made by my predecessor to bodies under the aegis of my Department during the period 26th February 2008 until 7th May 2008 are as follows: Person Appointed Date Appointed Body to which appointed Dan Browne — Dawn Meats 10 April 2008 Bord Bia (Board member & Chairperson) Joseph Hyland — Irish Country Meats...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named is an applicant under the Farm Improvement Scheme. Applications under this Scheme are being processed by my Department up to the level of funding provided for the Scheme in the 2006 Partnership agreement, Towards 2016. The application concerned is, therefore, eligible for consideration and will be processed subject to funding still being available at that time.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The person named is an applicant under the Farm Improvement Scheme. Applications under this Scheme are being processed by my Department up to the level of funding provided for the Scheme in the 2006 Partnership agreement, Towards 2016. The application concerned is, therefore, eligible for consideration and will be processed subject to funding still being available at that time.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Premia payments for ewes ceased on the introduction of the Single Farm payment in 2005 and the re-introduction of a headage payment even in hill areas would not be easily achieved without consequences for the Single Farm Payment. My predecessor raised the difficulties in the sheep sector at the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers last March. Commissioner Fisher Boel has indicated that the...

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: One of the eligibility criteria for REPS 4 is that a farmer must be farming at least 3 hectares of owned or leased land, but the rule is not absolute. Other lands can be included to satisfy the three hectare requirement with the prior approval of my Department.

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The environmental objectives of the Traditional Sustainable Grazing and the Mixed Grazing supplementary measures can be delivered only through a controlled grazing regime. It is possible to undertake these measures only on lands which are under the sole control of the farmer, which excludes commonage. Commonage land must be farmed to the farming conditions set out in the relevant Commonage...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: Category C of the 2007 National Reserve caters for sheep farmers for whom at least 40% of their Single Payment was derived from direct payments associated with sheep production (Ewe Premium/Rural Word Premium) during the reference period and where their existing Single Payment is less than €10,000. This is a non-mandatory category. The EU Regulations provide that in allocating entitlements...

Written Answers — European Council Meetings: European Council Meetings (15 May 2008)

Brendan Smith: The information requested is contained in the following schedule. Council Date Number of Decisions A Points 10 May 2005 (Informal) — — 30/31 May 2005 1 × Political Agreement 14 20/21 June 2005 1 × Political agreement 20 18 July 2005 — 19 11 September 2005 (Informal) — — 19 September 2005 — 42 24/25 October 2005 2 × Political agreement 13 22/24 November 2005 — 9...