Results 5,321-5,340 of 7,670 for speaker:Jackie Cahill

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: When we get the water quality reports back in, who will make the decision whether the report is satisfactory enough to leave the country at 250 kg, or reduce it to 220 kg? Is that a national or an EU decision?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: If water quality improves by 0.5%, is that enough to held them at 250 kg? If it decreases by 0.5%, does that take it down to 220 kg?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: We all want to see water quality improving. There is unanimity in the room on this. The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications will come before the committee shortly. A week ago we had torrential rain. The waste treatment plant in my home town cannot handle the rain water. The sluice gates are opened and it ends up in the River Suir. This happens on a regular basis....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: There is an argument that we are the only country in Europe with a derogation but we have a completely different system of dairy farming from other countries. We produce our milk from grass. Grass takes nitrogen to grow. Most of the other countries have indoor systems that have their own problems with water quality. We have a completely different farming system. We have carbon...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: There will be a push to reduce yields and protect solids. This will have an impact on our beef production. This would be very regrettable.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: I wish to bring to everyone's attention some information on privilege. Witnesses giving evidence from within the parliamentary precincts are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. This means that witnesses have full defence in any defamation action for anything said at a committee meeting. However, witnesses are expected not to abuse this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: I call Mr. Callanan from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: Will the figure of 15% not increase with the banding? Mr. Callanan said 15% of herds are over-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: The opening statement I received did not correspond with the statement made by Mr. Callanan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: There is no issue. We did not have the full content of the opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: Their statement was exactly as read.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: The compensation matter is a different policy issue to that of derogations, so the witnesses can leave the compensation issue. We will come to that at another stage.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: It is not 170 kg of nitrogen per hectare per year, but the 89 kg excreted per cow.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: The Senator is making a valid point. It is being said that slurry had doubled its value and now it has halved, and we are increasing the organic output from the cow by 15 kg or 16 kg. It is a very valid point that is being made in the regard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: Yes, it is per cow.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: The volume did not double, while the calculation for the value of the slurry halved.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: The sums here do not add up too well. I call Deputy Leddin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: In his last comments, Mr. Callanan answered the question I was going to ask regarding who is going to analyse those results we will get from the EPA to see if they are satisfactory or not. It is the European Commission that will have the final say. Is this a correct interpretation of what Mr. Callanan said?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: That analysis, though, will have to go to the European Commission for approval.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Jackie Cahill: Fine. I thank the witnesses for participating. This is a complex subject and it has major implications for the dairy sector. I thank the witnesses for engaging so constructively with the committee. The next meeting of the committee will consider the challenges facing the aquaculture industry in Ireland.