Results 4,021-4,040 of 4,430 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Environmental Impact Assessments (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department is in the process of reviewing the regulations and once finalised, revised EIA (Agriculture) legislation and guidance documents will be published. As part of the review process, a public consultation was conducted in 2023. A total of 64 submissions were received and reviewed in response to that public consultation. The submissions were published and are available at...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Government’s afforestation target of 8,000 hectares per year is set out in the Climate Action Plan. The current Forestry Programme is the largest ever funded Programme to date, which provides attractive financial incentives and a broad range of planting options in order to achieve these ambitious targets. The comprehensive package of measures included in the Programme introduced an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The income supports for farmers that the Deputy refers to are provided within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and specifically on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 which sets out the rules for support under CAP Strategic Plans. There is no similar or comparable provision in place under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in relation to primary producers in the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: In Ireland, fishing quotas are a public resource and are managed to provide for proper management, conservation and rational exploitation of the State’s fishing quotas. Quotas are managed as a public good that ensures that property rights are not granted to individual operators. This is seen as a critical policy in order to ensure that quotas are not concentrated into the hands of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: School Meals Programme (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 484 and 485 together. Funding for breakfast clubs falls under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, and I understand that milk is an option under the breakfast club for the school year 2024/2025. Separately, the EU funded School Milk Scheme falls under the responsibility of my Department. The scheme is designed to inform...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Safety (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 486, 487 and 488 together. This year, my Department is implementing a range of initiatives to improve the safety, health and wellbeing of our farming community through dedicated funding of €2.5m. One of these initiatives is the open call for proposals for farm safety, health and wellbeing projects which Minister Healy-Rae T.D., Minister of State with...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the organisation charged with the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The question raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Commercial movement of pets is defined where a pet, or pets, is either travelling unaccompanied, or is travelling for the use of trading, or for shows, sporting events or where an owner has more than 5 pets travelling. All commercial movements of dogs require certification, the type of certification is dependent on whether the destination is to other EU countries or non-EU countries. The...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Climate Change Policy (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department is focused on tackling climate change, protecting the environment and maintaining biodiversity, as well as ensuring farmer’s livelihoods and the family farm model of agriculture is protected and sustainable here in Ireland. One of the priorities for my Department is to ensure that we continue to make progress on reducing emissions from land use by the improved...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Genetically Modified Organisms (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, (supported by the Environmental Protection Agency) is responsible for the authorisation of Genetically Modified (GM) crops for cultivation. In 2018, the Government approved the transposition of Directive 2015/412 which enabled Ireland to opt out of cultivation of GM crops approved for cultivation elsewhere in the EU. There are no...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The AGRIFISH Council meets once a month. It is probably the most intense Council meeting along with ECOFIN. There are few Irish Ministers who have to go out there every month. I do not miss an opportunity to engage and get to know the officials. There are people in the cabinet of Commissioner Hansen and others who I knew previously in different roles. You build those relationships and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Programmes (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: In preparation for the introduction of the new GAEC 2 standard - Protection of Peatlands and Wetlands, officials from my Department, in consultation with the European Commission selected a definition and a mapping source for peat soils. The definition of peat soils selected for GAEC 2 is: “A peat soil is defined as organic soil materials which have sedentarily accumulated and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Programmes (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department operates and maintains six designated State-owned Fishery Harbour Centres (FHCs), located at Castletownbere, Dingle, Dunmore East, Howth, Killybegs and Ros An Mhíl under statute. My Department also has responsibility for North Harbour at Cape Clear Island, as well as the maintenance of a small number of specific piers, lights and beacons throughout Ireland, in accordance...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: The grade of Agricultural Inspector is remunerated with a salary commencing at €75,736 and increasing to €106,005 on a PPC salary scale inclusive of long service incremental credit. The grade of Veterinary Inspector starts on a salary of €68,683 which increases to €118,165, again on a PPC salary scale inclusive of long service incremental credit. The full year...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Special Areas of Conservation (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department considers applications for aquaculture licences in accordance with the provisions of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997, the Foreshore Act 1933 (as amended) and applicable national and EU legislation. The licensing process involves consultation with a wide range of scientific and technical advisers as well as various Statutory Consultees. The legislation also provides for a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Inquiries (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: As part of the EU quality schemes, product names may be registered with a geographical indication if they have a specific link to the place where they are made. A Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) emphasises the relationship between the specific geographical region and the particular quality, reputation or other characteristic is essentially attributable to its geographical origin. PGI...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Surveys (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: The advice on fish stocks, including Pollack, published by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) forms the basis of the scientific advice used by the European Commission in proposing Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for the following year. The ICES advice for Pollack in ICES Areas 6-7 (the waters around Ireland) for 2024 and 2025 was for zero catch. Therefore, the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Inquiries (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: The person named submitted an application under the ACRES General stream and was approved into Tranche 1 of the scheme, with a commencement date of 1st January 2023. An ACRES inspection took place on the holding on 13 February 2025. A notification of the inspection findings issued to the person named by letter dated 13 May 2025. I can confirm that a request to review this decision was...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Veterinary Services (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department is committed to ensuring that a highly skilled and motivated workforce is in place to meet business needs and uses workforce planning to identify and assess these needs for all locations. Recruitment is ongoing in the Department at present, and employment opportunities continue to be advertised either by the Public Jobs or by my Department's Human Resources Division. I am aware...