Results 4,601-4,620 of 7,789 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Seafood Taskforce Final Report: Statements (9 Dec 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. I am not going to claim I am as knowledgeable about fishing as many who live in coastal areas. My analysis is that much of what is happening has been driven by bad EU policy down through the years. It seems that the EU, as a combination of nations, wants the big monopoly to do everything. One time a builder could go to the council and tender for...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Appeals (9 Dec 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 255. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a decision will be made on the review requested of the respite care grant application made by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60984/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I said I would come down because we got a power cut the last time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I might have with vex. First of all, I am a contractor, but I am a small Mickey Mouse contractor when it comes to slurry in case someone would go throwing it at me. In relation to the low emissions slurry spreading which is planned to come in more over the next few years, it is contractors that put out 90% to 95% of slurry. To be quite frank about it, and farmers themselves would tell...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. Nolan spoke of the 30 km rule. Senator Paul Daly mentioned this. There is a problem and there is no point in my hiding behind it. There can be people 100 miles away taking land to cover them for nitrates. We have to talk openly about it. How will that be resolved? There will not be people spreading slurry on the side of a mountain, to be blunt, and not all mountains are commonage.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: But how do you see on the day where they put the slurry?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I have heard both Mr. Nolan and the Minister speaking about nitrates there. At the moment, if I am a farmer, I can lease out my single farm payment. No one can come to me and tell me what I have to do with nitrates or fine me or do anything, right or wrong.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: To call a spade a spade, if you have your single farm payment leased out, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will not be interested in you. You can stock whatever you want.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Cutting hedges and having cows over the stocking limits are two different ball games.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Therefore, there is nothing stopping anyone who wants to lease their payments and have as many cows as they want.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: There are about 118,000 farmers who operate and try to make a living at 170 kg/ha nitrates. There are probably 12,000 farmers over that. What is the rationale behind that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: No, but what is the rationale if 170,000 want to stay under 170 kg/ha nitrates, that 12,000 are at 250 kg/ha?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I might be going off track here on nitrates. We were talking about the eco scheme which will help with sequestration and nitrates. Will the Minister introduce more measures than are there currently? Is he aware that under the trees, and he is talking about growing three to hectare or whatever, that there could be a problem for some years in getting a tree that is strongish?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Does the Minister have an idea of what he is thinking about bringing in? Can he tell us?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is good.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Is it possible that that budget will be increased? This is for the simple reason that multispecies grasses are nearly twice the price. The cost is approximately €95 per acre as against €60 per acre. While €1 million is welcome, if we are trying to bring farmers throughout the country on board, is there any way of upping it a bit? I will say to the Minister, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will raise the issue of marrying up schemes, which the Chairman has, in fairness, raised on numerous occasions, in addition to me and other members. I am hearing a negative view from people in the sector who, in the past day or two, met officials in the Department who are drawing up the schemes. If a farmer went on the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, was on it for two...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I cannot understand that the terms and conditions of GLAS state that the EU promotes the sowing of trees and all of that - and it could be due to the EU rather than the Department because we see it in appeals - but also state that we cannot go near the ground that is on the scheme. I just cannot fathom it, if the EU is talking about trees, which is one of its big agendas at present, and a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. Nolan spoke about slurry storage and farmers being overstocked or expanded. Will there be a facility to grant-aid those farmers? There was a proposal that every shed would have to be covered or something. Would it not be better to give a grant for the ground to put in the tanks everywhere? Some farmers might be over their stock or area where they have enough storage. How does the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (14 Dec 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: 771. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the €7 million being returned from the forestry budget is a result of the inability of his Department to deliver afforestation licences to the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61438/21]