Results 22,421-22,440 of 24,065 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (24 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department has committed to undertaking a mid term review of the current Forestry Programme in 2025. This will be conducted in consultation with all stakeholders. Depending on the outcome of this review, certain proposed changes may be required to be notified to the European Commission under State Aid Rules. These resulting agreed changes will be implemented prior to the end of the current...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (24 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The primary compensation scheme for farmers whose herds are affected by TB is the On-Farm Market Valuation Scheme under which compensation is payable for cattle removed as reactors. My officials have informed me that the herdowner in question entered a breakdown on 18th January 2024 and has had 20 reactor animals removed to date. The herdowner is due to receive two separate payments under...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Supports (24 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: While primary responsibility for taxation policy is with the Minister for Finance, I continue to work closely with him on taxation matters relating to the agri-food sector. The tax debt warehousing scheme has offered valuable and practical liquidity support to businesses since it was introduced in May 2020 during the pandemic and continues to support businesses as they recover from the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pesticide Use (24 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: To protect water quality, the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) for the Protection of Waters Regulations, as amended, sets limits regarding the application of certain nutrients, including Phosphorus to agricultural soils. Since January 2023, all arable land and holdings with a grassland stocking rate greater than 130 kg Nitrogen per hectare in the previous year must be subject to soil...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Veterinary Services (24 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Private Veterinary Practitioners (PVPs) are paid for carrying out TB testing on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) on a scale depending on the numbers of animals being tested. The rates are included in the excel spreadsheet attached. Columns A to C refer to the number of animals being tested for TB testing and the corresponding rate. Columns G to I...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Advertising (24 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department provides public information about the Department's wide range of schemes, services and policies. This includes public information campaigns with advertising across radio, print, digital media and out of home advertising (OOH). Advertising is placed across both national and local media to communicate this information. This expenditure includes public information campaigns and the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Contracts (24 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not engaged the services of the company (details supplied) or allocated the company funding or support in any capacity.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Supports (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for the question. We had a three-hour session here yesterday discussing this very topic. Over the past several weeks, we have all been very conscious of how challenging spring has been for farmers in all sectors, including dry stock, dairy, and tillage farmers. The Government has been very conscious of this and has worked to respond to farmers as challenges have emerged....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Supports (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I have given the commitment to secure and deliver the funding. Although I have not yet received the funds, it was really important, given the pressure the sector was under, to provide clarity on what support would be forthcoming from the Government. I have been engaging on an ongoing basis this very long spring with all farm representative organisations, and also those in the tillage...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fodder Crisis (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: As stated in reply to the previous question, this has been a really challenging spring. We have worked to support the farming community through it with the fodder transport measure. Teagasc has been working at local level to provide support to farmers to ensure they can get supplies where they were running short. The fodder support measure was a really important one last year. It was...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fodder Crisis (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: This Government has been very responsive and supported farmers in times of need and in the medium to long term, by means of significant investment. The CAP, which will run up to 2027, offers 50% higher funding. That is a record increase in Government funding. Over the past two or three years, where sectors have been under pressure, be it the pig sector, the horticulture sector or the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fodder Crisis (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: We are working to provide support. That is our track record. The Deputy is correct about pillar 1 payments at European level. The CAP budget at European level has been static from the previous CAP to this one. We are one of the 27 member states which is constantly pushing to maintain and increase it but of course 27 member states have to agree to the decision, so it has been static. That...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Staff (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Over the past five years, my Department's business needs have grown significantly. In 2018, its workforce totalled 3,336 staff. The Department has increased its staffing numbers considerably since then in order to ensure that we meet our commitment to deliver a quality service to all in the agricultural community and to all other citizens who depend on my Department for overseeing food...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Staff (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: No. At the end of last year, it was 4,007. The current number is up ten on that, although it is similar. Our payroll budget is just over €250 million per year. This finances our salary and allowance costs for the full year of 2024. While my Department has not issued an embargo on staffing, as is borne out by the numbers employed and the figures on which I have given the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Staff (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Local authorities play a role in providing services to some small abattoirs. Generally, there can be challenges with the availability of vets in various parts of the country, but my Department is committed to ensuring that this service is properly resourced and companies are facilitated as necessary and to working with local authorities, which have a role in respect of small abattoirs. ...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Staff (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I certainly will take an interest in that. It is something I am very committed to because I want to see our small abattoirs being supported. I know we have seen a significant change in the landscape over the past decade or two in relation to the number of abattoirs in the country. There has been significant consolidation, but I want to ensure the services that small abattoirs need are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Kerrane. As she knows, I have committed to supporting the group known as the forgotten farmers. I have made a clear commitment to them that I will deliver support to reflect the impact their missing out on certain payments had on their farming enterprises. This is a group of farmers whose members were under 40 in 2015 when the situation first came to light. At that point,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: It is a legacy issue that goes back to 2015 and I am committed to addressing it. Obviously, a key focus in the past year has been getting the current CAP programme up and running, making sure the schemes are running smoothly and putting the systems and structures in place for that. That has been a big area of emphasis and priority within the Department. All these farmers, as well as all...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I have very clearly committed to delivering a solution and outcome for these farmers. A number of considerations are being fully explored, for example, state aid considerations, the capacity to deliver it, and how it could be delivered within state aid constraints. There is also the budgetary aspect of it as well as the building out of the IT system which would be needed to identify all the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Industry (25 Apr 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department monitors the information on farms and the wider agrifood sector. We do that in collaboration with Teagasc and the Central Statistics Office, and that is ongoing at all times. The number of farms in Ireland is recorded every ten years in the CSO census of agriculture, most recently in 2010 and 2020. In addition, the CSO undertakes farm structure surveys periodically between...