Results 21,881-21,900 of 24,051 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department has carried out a few analyses of this. The category of farmer we are discussing comprises those who commenced prior to 2008, were under 40 years of age in 2015 and held low-value entitlements under the BPS. A 2019 assessment showed that 3,900 farmers fulfilled the criteria, with the cost of increasing the value of entitlements estimated to be €12 million. Obviously,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The system to identify the different categories of farmers and deliver the payment will be important. That is being expedited and moved forward. The overall funding commitment will determine the level of payment we can make. I will engage further with the Department of public expenditure and Deputy Kerrane on that. There has been significant engagement over the last two or three years...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 78 together. I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for raising this issue. I know it is particularly important to farmers in Galway and Mayo, as it is in Donegal. Either Galway or Mayo has the highest number of ACRES participants, at more than 5,000, which is over one ninth of the national total. The scheme has been quite popular for people to engage...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: So far, only farmers participating in the general stream have received any payment. Out of 28,000 in the general stream, some 20,000 have received a payment, with over €88 million paid out to them so far. Around 18,000 other farmers are in the co-operation stream. They will now all receive €5,000 by the end of this month. Those in the general stream-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Some 18,000 in the co-operation stream. In total, we will see 26,000 farmers receive the interim payment of either €4,000 in the case of the 8,000 general stream farmers who have not been paid, or €5,000 for the 18,000 co-operation stream farmers, none of whom have received a payment yet. I accept what the Deputy is saying. Farmers will be very keen to see the level of their...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: That would certainly be the intention.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: In response to Deputy McNamara, my understanding from recollection is that approvals are still required in most of those instances. It would certainly be the intention that once approvals are given, they can move through to payments. That is part of the scheme that is still being rolled out and is the next step in relation to the co-operation streams. In response to Deputy Ó...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Hedge Cutting (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is actively monitoring the situation as regards the deadline for the Planting of New Hedgerows under Tranche 1 of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). The requirement remains, as stated in the Scheme Specifications for that action, that the contracted length of the new hedgerow be planted by 31 March 2024. As the Deputy may be aware in relation to the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: An application under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and associated area-based schemes was received by my Department from the above named applicants on 28th May 2023. As part of the normal administrative checks an issue was identified with the structure of the Registered Farm Partnership that the applicants have applied under. This issue has been resolved in recent...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Departments Eco-Scheme section have processed over 95% of the 122,289 applications received in 2023 with payments of over €297 million having issued already. Validations and compliance checks on the remaining 5% of applications are ongoing and payment including on the specific case raised by the Deputy will issue shortly. Staff in my Department will contact the person named in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fisheries Protection (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is a set of rules for managing European fishing fleets and for conserving fish stocks. Under this policy, EU fishing fleets are given equal access to EU waters and fishing grounds subject to allocated fish quotas. Fishing vessels, irrespective of size, must comply with the rules of the CFP, including rules on access and catch limits/quota. In relation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: As the information requested extends over a period of 13 years, all the data requested is not readily available. A response will therefore issue directly to the Deputy within 10 days.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: There are currently no template reports that ecologists are waiting on. The guidance documentation in relation to applications falling within breeding wader hotspots, provides templates to guide the ecologist. These are available on the Departments website. Where applications fall within the foraging distance of a SPA the guidance advises that a report is provided by the applicant...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department depends on many map layers, including a curlew map layer, in its forestry 'IFORIS' system to assist in assessing forestry applications and ensuring these are used to safeguard important protected areas such as Curlew nest sites and their surrounds. This Curlew layer was provided by National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Since 2020 there has been a significant turnaround in the number of licences issued by my Department, for Cork and for all other counties. In 2020 following a court ruling in 2019, that increased significantly the ecological input required to process licences, my Department issued 2,592 licences. My Department invested heavily in staff and systems and by 2022 the number of licences issued...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The persons named were approved into Tranche 1 of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) General Stream, with a contract commencement date of 1 January 2023. Following the commencement of advance payments to ACRES General participants last December, work has continued on the processing of further ACRES General advance payments, and on the preparation of payments to ACRES...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy will be aware that on 9thFebruary I announced an interim payment that will be paid to some 25,500 ACRES participants who have not yet received their advance payment. This will include those applicants who have a partnership arrangement. Last Wednesday 14thFebruary I announced the interim payment will be €4,000 to participants in ACRES General and €5,000 to those in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy will be aware, following exceptional flooding in the Shannon Callows during summer 2023, on 7 November 2023, I announced the launch of the Shannon Callows Flood Scheme. The aim of the scheme is to support farmers who have lost fodder due to flooding in the region during summer 2023. I have allocated funding of approximately €800,000 which will allow for a payment rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy will be aware that, on 9thFebruary, I announced that an interim payment will be paid to some 25,500 ACRES Tranche 1 participants who have not yet received their advance payment. Subsequently, on 14th February, I announced that the rate of the interim payment will be €4,000 to participants in ACRES General and €5,000 to those in the Co-operation Project (CP) stream,...