Results 5,641-5,660 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: My Department, in the context of delivering the Single Payment Scheme, is required to carry out on-the-spot inspections on a number of farms covering such issues as eligibility under the Scheme, compliance with EU legislation in the areas of the environment, food safety, animal health and welfare and plant health and ensuring that the farm is maintained in good agricultural and environmental...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: I am supportive of initiatives to promote food on all-island basis where this is of mutual benefit and leads to closer economic co-operation. The development of an all-island animal health policy is a necessary prerequisite to the establishment of an all-island food label. The development of the animal health policy is being actively pursued in the context of North/South co-operation. In...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: All beef sold or served in the retail or catering sector is now required by law to carry an indication of country of origin. There are EU Regulations, which provide for the labelling of unprocessed poultrymeat at retail level. The information which these regulations require on the label includes the registered number of the slaughterhouse or cutting plant and, where imported from a Third...

Written Answers — Dairy Sector: Dairy Sector (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Capital investment and research and development are priorities in the Agri Vision 2015 Plan of Action, which I launched in 2006 and which set out actions for building a knowledge-based, competitive, innovative and consumer focussed agri-food sector. The Dairy Processing Investment Fund, which I launched last September, represents an investment package of €300 million for the dairy sector...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has regular ongoing contact with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland on a whole range of matters including labelling. The Food Safety Authority's Chief Audit Manager and three Audit Managers conducted the audit of the 90 food premises in question. Following this audit, the FSAI provided each of the official agencies with a copy of the report on those premises under their...

Written Answers — EU Studies: EU Studies (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The SCENAR 2020 Study was carried out by a number of EU institutions to identify future trends and driving forces that will form the framework for the European agricultural and rural economy up to the year 2020. The study took twelve months to complete and built up a reference scenario based on an analysis of trends from 1990 to 2005. These trends were then projected to the year 2020 as a...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: My Department is fully committed to ensuring that consumers can have full confidence in the organic food they buy. For that reason, extra staff resources were assigned to the Organic Unit last year and my officials are now systematically inspecting retail outlets, including supermarkets, shops and farmers' markets, and checking to ensure that all product identified as organic has been...

Written Answers — Rural Development: Rural Development (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The European Council agreement on the EU Financial Perspective 2007-2013 which was reached in December 2005, provided for an increase in voluntary modulation to permit the transfer of up to 20% of a Member State's allocation for direct payments and market supports to rural development. I respect the European Parliament's decision to oppose this proposal. It does not have direct implications...

Written Answers — Agricultural Processing Sectors: Agricultural Processing Sectors (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: In keeping with commitments given in the Agri-Vision 2015 Action Plan, I announced over recent months, investment packages totalling €150 million to support the development of the dairy, beef and sheepmeat processing sectors. €100 million is for the dairy sector while €50 million is being provided for the beef and sheepmeat sectors. This substantial grant assistance, which should...

Written Answers — Sheepmeat Industry: Sheepmeat Industry (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The Sheep Industry Development Strategy Group issued its report in June 2006. This is a comprehensive study of the sheep industry which sets out a Development Plan for the sector contained in 37 recommendations. I decided that the best way to implement these recommendations was to set up an implementation body comprised of representatives of all sectors in the industry, including the...

Written Answers — Social Partnership Agreements: Social Partnership Agreements (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: One of the key features of the agriculture chapter of Towards 2016 has been the Government's willingness to provide a major increase in funding for agriculture from exchequer resources. This has not only made up for the inevitable decline in EU funding, due to our economic success as a country, but has also provided the finance for the very significant enhancement of some major schemes which...

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: I would like to assure the Deputy of my continued support for the Native Woodland Scheme. This is an extremely important scheme and I would like to see it enhanced and developed further so that the significant benefits which it brings, particularly in terms of biodiversity, can be maximized. The scheme was introduced in 2001 under the terms of the last Rural Development Programme and aimed...

Written Answers — Farm Structures: Farm Structures (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: A number of schemes and reliefs have been introduced in recent years to bring about improvements in farm structures. Low levels of land mobility remain an obstacle for those who wish to enter farming or expand the size of their holding. However, leasing has become an increasingly popular means of securing land as the volume of land sold on the open market declines and land prices rise. At...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: There is no known instance of a food safety alert arising from mycotoxins generated by mould in cheese in the State. The EU Regulations 2073/04 and 1881/2006 which set maximum levels of contaminants, including Mycotoxins in foodstuffs, do not require the testing of cheese for such mycotoxins. However, the premises to which the question refers are considered to be in the priority category...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The revised Farm Waste Management Scheme, which was launched by my Department in March 2006, closed for applications at the end of December 2006. A total of 48,580 applications have been received by my Department under the Scheme and these applications are currently being processed. It is my intention to process these applications as soon as possible and I am currently examining various...

Written Answers — Milk Quota: Milk Quota (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: I was very pleased with the results of the first milk quota Trading Scheme, which I announced last Wednesday. As the Deputy will be aware the scheme has two elements — a Priority Pool and a Market Pool, the latter functioning through an exchange mechanism. The Trading scheme allocates some 70% of the total quota offered for sale to the Exchange at which a market-clearing price is computed...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The person named applied for his full 22.79 single payment entitlements in 2006 and received 50% advance payment on 16th October 2006, the balancing payment issued on 01 December 2006.

Written Answers — Animal Welfare: Animal Welfare (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The position as regards the welfare and protection of animals is that my statutory responsibility relates to the welfare and protection of farmed animals only and does not extend to other animals. The Protection of Animals Kept for Farming Purposes Act, 1984 and the European Communities (Protection of Animals Kept for Farming Purposes) Regulations 2006 (SI No 705 of 2006) is the legislation...

Written Answers — Animal Welfare: Animal Welfare (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Fur farming is a legitimate farming activity in this country. Under the Musk Rats Act, 1933 (Application to Mink) Order 1965, the keeping of mink is prohibited except under licence, obtained from my Department. Licences are issued under this legislation only if the applicant, following an inspection, is found to be compliant with a number of key conditions. Fur Farming is also considered to...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The position is that an application for the Transfer of Entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme to the persons named was submitted on the 28th April 2006. During processing of the Transfer application it was necessary for an official from my Department to make direct contact with a third party involved in the Transfer to seek clarification on certain matters relating to the application....