Results 5,381-5,400 of 7,790 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am only going by the figures I have just given. They show there are 928 farmers with over 300 units. There are 411 farmers with more than 400 units and then there are those with more than 500 units. A farm with more than 500 cows is not an ordinary family farm.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am referring to the derogation. Has any analysis been done on how many cows would be gone if the derogation was removed? If the new figures, whereby the number may increase from 80 or 85 cows to 105 cows, are applied, it will affect everyone. That is the problem. Whether a farmer is in derogation or not, it could put push the farmer over. Have the groups before us done any analysis on that?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: If there was no derogation in place, how many cows would farmers be forced to remove? On the other side, when we increase from 80 or 85 cows to 105, what type of figure would that be? Going by the figures I have looked at, is it fair to say that nearly any farm would go to 105 cows, given the way it is being done? All farms, those with under 170 cows and those with over 170 cows, will be...

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Has any analysis been done?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: The figures I have from the Department, which I presume are accurate, show that 691 farms with under 100 cows are in derogation. The figures for those with more than 100 cows keep going up.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: The family farm is going to be badly affected when that comes in. Does Mr. Drennan agree?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Will Mr. McCormack give that figure again?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: With genetics and that.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: The witnesses are right about the colleges and being in for the longer haul and that is good to see for young farmers. Thankfully, a lot of young farmers are doing the green cert. I know a few places that are booked out for another while and it is good that they are doing it. What is Mr. McCormack's vision going forward for the family farm as against the bigger farm in the context of...

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am sorry for interrupting but for any poor dairy farmer out there, my honest opinion is that anyone who is spreading fertiliser will not get much out of this agri-environment scheme because farmers will not be growing the flowers people are on about growing.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I want to correct a point because I was looking at the figures. It is 6,113 farmers who have more than 100 cows and for those who have between 100 and 200 cows you can take-----

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: You cannot do something overnight because if people have commitments you cannot just take them out.

Measures to Assist with Household Bills: Motion [Private Members] (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: First, on the voucher the Government gives out for electricity, I hope that this time people who live over their premises get the rebate back because the last time they did not. Second, if the Minister of State wants solutions, I have a suggestion. In six to seven weeks, Lanesborough and Shannonbridge power stations can burn biomass. We are exporting biomass because we have no place to use...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Proposed Legislation (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I concur with Deputy Ó Cuív. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House, but, to be honest, what is going on is shambolic. I want to know if this is a Civil Service problem. We are sick and tired of this. In fairness, the Ceann Comhairle has gone above and beyond for everyone to ensure that this would be accommodated. Deputy Ó Cuív and myself have followed...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Proposed Legislation (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: With the amendment Deputy Ó Cuív spoke about, the science is done already. There were categories 1 and 2. I remember when they were being done at the time. The science has been done by competent scientists. It is there for the Minister of State. No one else has to look at it. He decides then on the amendments. I think turbary rights have been sorted in recent weeks where...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Proposed Legislation (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Yes.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Proposed Legislation (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Sorry to talk out of turn but, given the Minister of State said he will hold a meeting for Deputies shortly, and, in fairness to the Ceann Comhairle, he has made it clear he is accommodating, and we thank him for that, it would be very helpful if it was possible for a representative of the Ceann Comhairle or the Ceann Comhairle to be available so that we would not be going over and back and...

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. McCormack talked about the stocking rates and so on, is the ICMSA or Teagasc doing anything to see if it is workable? I always have a vision of a suckler herd where we should produce a cow that would rear two calves. One on its own is not able to do that. Is there any work being done by Teagasc and organisations such as the ICMSA that would help with the stocking rates, and all that...

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: One thing we need to do as a committee, which I will propose and perhaps it may be seconded, is where Mr. Drennan mentioned earlier that the EPA report has been held up for so long and that the ICMSA did not receive it. There is a duty on the EPA to give the report to the ICMSA and to publish it for the betterment of all, in the first instance. When the Department appears before the...

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses. The Department talks of a review. It needs to be up front and straight with farmers. It cannot just tell someone with a certain number of cows that the provision will be gone next week, month or year. Have the officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage seen the report on water quality? The previous set of witnesses stated the report...