Results 4,221-4,240 of 4,305 for speaker:Martin Kenny
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency: Mr. Maroš Šefovi (2 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: Yes. I thank the Chair. Deputy Ó Laoghaire is unfortunately in the Chamber where the flotilla and Gaza are being discussed. He is tied up there, but I hope he will be here shortly. The Commissioner is welcome. I thank him for his opening statement. The big issue before us this morning is what happened with the flotilla last night. People from every part of Europe were going to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency: Mr. Maroš Šefovi (2 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: Yes. I thank the Chair. Deputy Ó Laoghaire is unfortunately in the Chamber where the flotilla and Gaza are being discussed. He is tied up there, but I hope he will be here shortly. The Commissioner is welcome. I thank him for his opening statement. The big issue before us this morning is what happened with the flotilla last night. People from every part of Europe were going to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency: Mr. Maroš Šefovi (2 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: There is only one of my colleagues here.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency: Mr. Maroš Šefovi (2 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: There is only one of my colleagues here.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: I thank the Chair. How does one follow that? I thank the witnesses for their opening statements, which we have read. We are all conscious that the grain industry in the country is in crisis and has been for quite some time. There is a need for the Government to put in place a package to support the grain industry. We also need to ensure that we can develop that industry and make it...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: Can that be done quickly? I take it there is a time lag in respect of doing that. Increasing production will take time. The keen competition for land, in particular with the dairy sector, is a major issue that needs to be addressed. What level of profitability does a company need to be at in order to be able to compete in that market?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: Price is obviously the key factor. I met Mr. Carter at the ploughing a couple of years ago and said if a penny went on the pint and the grain grower got it, it would make a difference. A small margin to the consumer would make a difference down the line. That is something a lot of people do not understand. We see the price of our food and commodities in shops doubling and trebling. Milk...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: I thank the witnesses for their presentation and their work. I have two very small questions. Often, looking for quick answers does not work but these are questions that could have them. Does the Department produce policy? Is it that it does not produce policy but that it implements it?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: The Department is a producer of policy and that policy is to try to advance all of the various sectors. Pressure was put on a few minutes ago regarding whether the Department would invest in something that was not viable. It was quite an unfair question because what we really need to do here is to try to make the sector viable and work together to develop and support a sector to become...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: Is there a need to develop that sector?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: We should invest to develop that sector. For its long-term profitability or viability, the tillage sector requires a little more investment.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: Mr. Phelan also mentioned the possibility of developing more processing opportunities in proteins, etc. Two weeks ago, the committee took a trip to Denmark. A co-operative there was set up in the early 1930s to produce potato starch. They were the largest producers of potato starch in Europe. In protein ingredients and certain other ingredients, are there opportunities from an Irish...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: We are here now.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: The peas and beans sector that Mr. Phelan talked about is a part of that. Is there a big opportunity there?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: We talked about rotation crops. Sugar beet has been mentioned. Is there still opportunity in its use as a feed for animals?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: They heard about it from Deputy Aird earlier.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Challenges Facing the Tillage Industry: Discussion (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: One of the issues that came up several times during the conversation was in regard to Irish food and Irish labelling of Irish food. The whiskeys, the beers and all of that sector is obviously one of them where we have a lot of grain going in. There is also, obviously, the feed we have going into our animals producing our milk and beef. In regard to all that, is any work being done on what...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: I thank the witnesses for their opening statements. What work is taking place in respect of where we are now and where we need to be with the nitrates derogation? River basin management plans and all of that are coming into play, we have measurements and we may see increases and decreases in nitrates from time to time. How are we in terms of timing and bringing a solution back to the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Climate Change Targets 2026-2030: Discussion (Resumed) (1 Oct 2025)
Martin Kenny: Okay.