Results 5,481-5,500 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: I understand it is just the PI. I will clarify that.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: The ex gratiapayment is seen as a way of accelerating that. To be fair, we would not want to overstate it either. The incidence has gone from 0.66% in 2013 to 0.33% in 2015

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: The Department works closely with Animal Health Ireland in this area. We did introduce an ex gratiapayment in 2016 to fund the removal of animals. No one is going to make much money on the scheme but it does help. I appreciate the difficulty for any neighbouring herdowner whose herd becomes infected through no fault of his own. However, we would not want to overstate the significance of...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: There is an issue with the food chain generally. The people who feel most cheated in the food chain are the primary producer and the consumer at the other end. There is an initiative by the Commission from which we expect to receive a report at the back end of the year. The European Commissioner, Mr. Phil Hogan, has said he might be able to bring forward proposals early in 2017. In...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: The local authorities are involved in respect of Japanese knotweed.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: In the diseases legislation, we identify the local authorities as agents in terms of the appropriate follow-up response. Along the roadsides, one sees all-too-prevalent signage erected by various local authorities identifying the issue of Japanese knotweed and asking people not to interfere. With conventional hedge trimming, if one interferes with Japanese knotweed, one only multiplies it....

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: I do not know. I am not an expert in the area. However, the weed appears to be in decline as a consequence of the spraying regime.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: Yes. We have inspection regimes for imports in that area to ensure we are not being exposed to any diseases through import. There are significant imports of saplings to nurseries. Seed testing, including the testing of seed potatoes, is another initiative in which the Department is involved.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: The focus of programme C is to promote economically, socially and environmentally sustainable farming, fishing and forestry. The key strategies underpinning this programme include the implementation of the rural development programme, the protection of the agriculture and fishing environments through environmentally friendly systems, the implementation of environmental cross-compliance...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: On the latter question, we will use up the €250 million allocated; therefore, we will reopen the GLAS scheme. Onn the REPS payments to which I alluded in respect of the beef data and genomics scheme, it is a carryover from the previous rural development programme. If the beef data and genomics scheme overruns, we have secured funding under the current programme. If we were to reopen...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: I appreciate the point Deputy Kenny raises. In the programme for Government there is a commitment to review the impact of the forestry sector in rural communities. I think the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government as well as the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have a role to play in that context. The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine does...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: Deputy McConalogue raised the issue of re-opening the GLAS scheme and I have dealt with his specific query. Deputy Kenny raised the issue of fencing. In certain circumstances, there may be a requirement to get either planning or a certificate of exemption from the local authority. In particular, that proviso may apply where replacement of existing fencing is required but that is a matter...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: All those issues form part of the long awaited threat response plan. I am disappointed it has taken this long to get the plan finalised. I take the point made. It is interesting, in respect of the most recent survey on hen harriers, that the number of breeding pairs is still in decline notwithstanding all of the efforts made to date. I know the hen harrier is a wonderful bird. I have...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: The focus of programme D is to deliver schemes and services effectively and efficiently, provide a quality service to all of our clients and adhere to the highest standards of good corporate governance. The key policies driving this programme include providing farm income support through the implementation of the areas of natural constraint scheme and maintaining high standards of financial...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: I acknowledge that farmers are experiencing cashflow difficulties. We are pursuing, with the Commission, the possibility of facilitating the earliest possible payment of the basic payments scheme. The earliest possible date allowed is 16 October. We have raised the matter with the Commission but have not received an answer. There is no prospect of the €25 million being paid in 2017....

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: A preliminary outcome is expected at the end of this year, but the measure must be in place by 2018. The survey is under way as we speak, but the €25 million will not be paid out in 2017. We have a forestry for fibre programme, which differs from the run-of-the-mill forestry programme, and we are considering introducing a new initiative for growing willow for biomass, although no...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: We are considering the specifics of biomass, paying particular regard to willow, but there is already a forestry for fibre-----

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: We have not decided on the details yet, but a programme is under active consideration.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: We are considering this matter. We had a willow project, but it did not attract much interest. We had a sum total of four applicants. It was different to the conventional forestry programme in the sense that we did not pay a premium, but an establishment grant, because the harvesting period was much shorter. I appreciate the Deputy's points about the benefit to municipal heating systems...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2016
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised) (22 Jun 2016)

Michael Creed: I have a lot of responsibilities, but I do not have any responsibility for those stations.