Results 4,601-4,620 of 4,911 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Diseases (17 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: I published the Bovine TB Action Plan, “Addressing Bovine TB in Ireland”, on 9 September. The Action Plan follows extensive discussions with stakeholders in recent months. I also received support and approval from Cabinet on 24 June to address the current high levels of Bovine TB (bTB). The Action Plan is based on scientific research and veterinary expertise. There are five...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (17 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: A dealer is classified as a natural or legal person who buys and sells animals commercially, either directly or indirectly, who has regular turnover of these animals and who within a maximum of 30 days of buying animals, resells them or relocates them, from the first premises to other premises, not within his or her ownership. “Regular turnover” means the buying and reselling...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Legislative Measures (17 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: Policy and Legislative responsibility for Dog control transferred to my Department from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht on 1 June 2025 and for Dog breeding establishments (DBE) on 1 August 2025. Local authorities retain responsibility for all operational, implementation and enforcement matters. A high-level stakeholder group was established in 2024 to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Supports (18 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: I fully recognise the pressures facing the tillage sector due to the challenging market outlook and downward price pressure this season. I attended the tillage grower meeting last Friday evening, where I engaged directly with the farming organisations and their members to directly hear their concerns. This Government recognises the importance of the tillage sector and wants to grow the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (18 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the organisation charged with the role of Keeper of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book (IGSB) since 1923. The Stud Book records pedigrees, ownerships, breeding data and transfers of ownership of all greyhounds. The ICC is subject to the general control and direction of Rásaíocht Con Éireann. The ICC has informed my Department that the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (18 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: I understand from the Irish Coursing Club that 8,637 non-coursing greyhounds, whose year of birth was 2024, were registered at microchipping stage.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (18 Sep 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: Departmental Funding (18 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: Whilst my Department does provide animal welfare related funding to charities in relation to their animal welfare related activities, and having examined the material referenced, as forwarded by the Deputy, it is clear that the request is more oriented as a sports grant application for dog showing equipment for competitions as opposed to for assistance re welfare activities. Furthermore,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (18 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: Animal welfare is a key priority for me, as Minister, and for the Government. The Animal Welfare Grants Programme provides considerable support for animal welfare charities to assist them in their vital work in rescuing and rehoming animals. In November 2024, funding of almost €6 million was provided to 101 animal welfare charities nationwide including an award of €931,750 to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Vaccination Programme (18 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: Badger vaccination is now a key part of the Irish TB Eradication Programme. This follows over 15 years of research work using BCG vaccine to prevent tuberculosis infection in badgers, and scientific trials carried out between 2013 and 2017 that show that vaccination is no less effective than culling. The large-scale rollout of badger vaccination commenced in late 2019. Every year more and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (25 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: It did not work out so well for them over in Britain.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: I thank Deputy Byrne for raising this important issue. He touched on the heart of the challenge. It has been three really difficult years for the tillage sector, and for tillage farmers in particular, due to weather, prices and ongoing challenges. The tillage sector is an incredibly important component of the overall agricultural sector. Farmers are very dependent on one another. We are...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (24 Sep 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 144 together. Animal welfare is a key priority for me as Minister and for the Government. The Animal Welfare Grants Programme provided considerable support for animal welfare charities, with €6 million awarded to 101 animal welfare charities nationwide, in 2024 including the organisation in question. Animal Welfare Grants are paid under the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Control of Dogs (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: Statistics in respect of a range of the dog control responsibilities of local authorities are published annually on Gov.ie. Information up to and including 2023, by county and in tabular form, is available on the dog control statistics page on www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development- and-the-gaeltacht/collections/dog-control-statistics/. The 2024 dog control statistics,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Control of Dogs (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: In terms of the policy and implementation landscape with respect to the control of dogs, from 1 June 2025, all policy and legislative responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts transferred to my Department from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG). It must be noted that local authorities retain responsibility for all operational matters under the Acts....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Gender Balance (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Deputy is referring to two separate schemes operated by my Department. My Department supports a broad range of public-good Research and Innovation activities through competitive research Calls. The applications to these are subject to expert evaluation. The rate of female participation on call research review and evaluation panels can vary. When selecting evaluators, my Department is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Legal Services (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2152, 2153 and 2177 together. Litigation and external legal advice are dealt with on behalf of the Department by the Attorney General’s Office, the Chief State Solicitor’s Office or the State Claims Agency who engage lawyers to act for my Department where necessary. The costs of any external solicitors or counsel in such litigation are not...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: State Bodies (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: I wish to advise the Deputy that the information requested is set out in the attached table. Question To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the level of capital funding received by State bodies and semi-State bodies including Teagasc and non-Governmental organizations; if he will provide a detailed list and funding amount for same; and if he will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Grant Payments (29 Jul 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department publishes yearly figures for payments under the schemes it delivers to farmers in the statistical annex to the Annual Review and Outlook publications which are available at: gov - Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2024 (www.gov.ie/). The primary source of funding for the seafood sector, which includes small-scale fishers, is the European Maritime,...

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

Martin Heydon: There are no plans to reduce the national herd. The Food Vision Dairy and Beef & Sheep Groups were established in 2022 to advance the actions for those sectors identified in the Food Vision 2030 strategy, taking account of the requirement to contribute to achieving the targets set for agriculture emissions in the Climate Action Plan. The first priority for the Groups was to chart...