Results 3,741-3,760 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Direct Payment Schemes (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: I shall put on the record the facts about the disadvantaged area payments because that is a fair question. Some farmers have been paid and some have not. I shall give the numbers. To date, €164 million has been paid to 75,000 farmers from the disadvantaged area payments scheme, DAS. This is €42 million ahead of the position in 2010 and we have worked hard to try to get payments paid...

Common Agricultural Policy (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: I have the relevant reference. There has been much concern, particularly among farmers involved in leasing. Last year approximately 17% of the farmed land in Ireland was leased, on either short-term or long-term leases. That is a significant portion of farmland and that 17% of leased land is often very high quality, productive farmland. Many rumours have been coming from Brussels and...

Common Agricultural Policy (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: The honest answer is that we do not know. To use the Deputy's terminology, it is certainly still in the mix. We have been involved in conversations on a fairly regular basis with the Commission at official level. We have very good relations with the Commission and it listens to what we have to say. Ireland is one of the key players in CAP from a policy point of view. Because agriculture...

Veterinary Fees (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: Fees paid by farmers to private veterinary practitioners are a private contractual matter between the two parties concerned and I have no statutory function in this area. In line with the position more broadly in the economy - for professions and other service providers - veterinary fees and charges are set in accordance with general market principles. It would not be appropriate for me to...

Veterinary Fees (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: It is fair to state that the cost of veterinary fees represents a significant portion of the costs incurred by those who own livestock farms. Compulsory testing has become part and parcel of farming. The standards we impose on farmers are expensive. That is one of the reasons I make no apologies to anyone who may be critical of the single farm payment system or the other systems of...

Veterinary Fees (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: I will look into it.

Coillte Assets (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: Although Deputy O'Dea is not present, I will read the reply into the record. Coillte was one of 28 commercial state bodies reviewed by the review group on State assets and liabilities, chaired by Mr. Colm McCarthy, which reported in April 2011. There were three recommendations in the section dealing with Coillte, one of which was that the State should initiate the disposal of Coillte's...

Coillte Assets (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: I wish to be absolutely clear on a number of issues. No one is considering selling Coillte land and that is off the table. When I asked Deloitte to consider the matter, I stipulated that there should be no consideration of the sale of Coillte lands. I appeal to people to be responsible on the issue if and when we must discuss the matter at some stage in future. It is true to say that the...

Milk Quota (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: This question relates to the milk quota and I will give a short answer so people have the opportunity to ask questions. Currently, Ireland is at risk of being fined at the end of the milk quota year next March for being over the quota, meaning superlevy fines of 28 cent per litre will be applied to people producing over their quota. I do not want to see that so I encourage farmers to try to...

Milk Quota (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: I can understand that people are trying to find imaginative solutions to this problem. We have examined whether it is possible to transfer surplus quota from Northern Ireland to the South. Unfortunately, although I would rather it was otherwise, Northern Ireland is considered a different country and jurisdiction from the Republic of Ireland and, whether we like it or not, it is not possible...

Food Harvest 2020 (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: The main targets set under Food Harvest 2020 were to: increase the value of primary output in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors by €1.5 billion, a 33% increase on the 2007-09 average; increase the value added in the agri-food, fisheries and wood products sectors by 40% compared to 2008; achieve an export target of €12 billion for the sector, representing a 42% increase...

Departmental Schemes (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: This is about the farm schemes again; it is a pre-budget submission from Deputy Moynihan. The answer is the same as the one I gave earlier. There will be reductions in expenditure, and I have been frank about that since the week I took office. Currently, we are lucky to be in charge of an industry that is expanding. Agriculture and agri-food have been the big good news story for the past...

Departmental Schemes (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: I agree with the Deputy. There are vulnerable persons in rural Ireland on farms, the sizes of which do not allow them to expand and grow and increase their income from farming activity. We all have a responsibility to keep them on the land. I am not a Minister who will impose policies purely on the basis of economics and solely focus on the efficiency of food production in making...

Farm Safety (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: I am delighted the Deputy has asked this question because farm safety is an issue which is not spoken about enough. When one looks at the figures for the numbers of fatalities on farms, one begins to realise why this issue should be a priority. I took a number of specific initiatives in this area over the summer. In June I made the opening address at the national farm safety conference...

Farm Safety (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: This is primarily a machinery and livestock issue with reference to the handling of powerful animals, some of which are unpredictable, particularly bulls. The number of bull beef animals has increased as a proportion of the stock. In the past there would have been a lot of bullocks whereas now there are a lot of young bulls being produced for beef, which carries with it some risk. On the...

Fishing Industry Development (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: This question concerns fishing industry development but it gives me an opportunity to express some of my concerns about the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP. Next year will be about planning for fishing in the immediate term. The major hurdle facing us in the coming weeks is the proposal for total allowable catches, TACs, for next year. The initial proposal from the Commission is not good news...

Fishing Industry Development (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: This year the Commission has decided to take what it calls a precautionary approach. If we cannot provide detailed scientific data to prove that we can maintain fishing efforts on a particular stock, the Commissioner intends to apply an automatic reduction of 25% to the total allowable catch for that stock. I cannot accept that. Either we are applying science or we are not. Our decisions...

Animal Welfare (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: I intend to introduce a new animal health and welfare Bill before the end of the year. This legislation should have been put in place long ago. It was partially drafted under the previous Government and the work has continued since I came into office. I am anxious to bring it forward at this stage. The Bill will deal with the protection of animals, whether on farms or in homes. We are...

Common Fisheries Policy (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 16 together. I mentioned the discards issue earlier. Every European country has a problem with discards. When fishermen catch fish which are out of quota or are not large enough to be marketable, they are thrown over the side of the boat because it costs money to bring them ashore. The proportion of discards are considerable in certain Irish stocks....

Common Fisheries Policy (6 Oct 2011)

Simon Coveney: There are issues also around the Hague preferences if the Deputy wishes to ask me questions on that. We are anxious to protect what are called the Hague preferences which give this country preferential treatment on quota allocation when quotas fall below a certain level. If one is catching white fish such as monkfish, whiting or haddock if the quotas fall below a certain level there is...