Results 6,021-6,040 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — World Trade Negotiations: World Trade Negotiations (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The Government is committed to achieving a balanced outcome between the various elements of the WTO negotiations. Insofar as agriculture and the food-producing sector are concerned, the outcome of the negotiations will determine the levels of protection and support which the EU may provide for the duration of the next agreement. The negotiations represent, therefore, a serious challenge to...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 247 together. Currently there is no mandate within WTO for the negotiation of agreements relating to trade and environment. Indeed, there is major resistance within the membership of the WTO, mainly from developing countries, to consideration of issues relating to trade and environment. Thus, it is unlikely that CO2 emissions will become part of any...

Written Answers — Dairy Industry: Dairy Industry (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Ireland has been successful in building EU and world market trade over a sustained period. This has been supported by consistent efforts to promote and market Ireland's dairy produce in these markets by Irish operators. Over 80% of Irish dairy production is exported to EU and world markets. Ireland's milk production is limited by the milk quota regime which was introduced in the early...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Meat and meat products imported from an EU source must come from an approved establishment and be accompanied to its destination by a commercial document or a health certificate signed by an official veterinarian of the competent authority of the Member State of origin. In the case of importation from third countries meat and meat products must originate in a country approved by the EU for...

Written Answers — Purchase for Destruction Scheme: Purchase for Destruction Scheme (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The carcasses of all animals slaughtered under the Purchase for Destruction Scheme have been rendered and incinerated. All material generated under the scheme was rendered and destroyed. Meat and bone meal was disposed of at approved incineration facilities in Germany and the UK in 2001 and 2002. Tallow was also incinerated. All hides from the PFD Scheme were processed at tanneries in...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: My Department administers the Energy Crop Scheme and the Non-Food Set-aside Scheme, under the auspices of the Single Payment Scheme. The aid is granted in respect of areas where production is covered by a contract between the farmer and a processor, except in the case of processing undertaken by a farmer on his/her holding. The closing date for the 2007 scheme is 4 May 2007, by which time...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The landscape in which the industry operates is changing rapidly. All elements of the landscape including policy, the regulatory environment, retail and foodservice buying-power/configuration, consumption trends, supply structures, and production/processing technology are changing — with the pace of change increasing. The Agri-Vision 2015 Report sets out a vision identifying the delivery...

Written Answers — Farm Waste Management: Farm Waste Management (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Under the 2007-2013 Rural Development Programme, it is proposed to continue grant-aid for— (a) the provision of on-farm slurry storage and related facilities, including slurry spreading equipment; (b) the construction of on-farm waste processing systems, including anaerobic digestion systems. The Schemes concerned will be introduced as soon as EU approval is received for the Programme.

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Payments are currently being made under two Schemes of Early Retirement from Farming. Details of the number of participants who began to receive payments under the 1994 Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming, which closed to new applications on 31 December 1999 and the Early Retirement Scheme which was introduced in November 2000 and closed to new applications on 31 December 2006, are set...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Statistics available from the Central Statistics Office show the trend in output value at farm gate prices for cattle, sheep, milk and crops for the period 1996 to 2006. They reflect changes in both output volumes and market prices and do not take into account direct payments. â'¬m Cattle Sheep Milk Cereals 1996 1,482.7 241.8 1,536.0 201 1997 1,382.6 230.0 1,414.5 160 1998 1,385.0...

Written Answers — Alternative Farm Enterprises: Alternative Farm Enterprises (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: Official data on deer farming is available from the Census of Agriculture which is carried out by the Central Statistics Office roughly every ten years. The first and so far only Census of Agriculture that included deer was in June 2000. This stated that there were farmed deer on 266 farms. Teagasc has estimated that the number of farms involved in deer production peaked in the mid 1990s at...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The Agri Vision 2015 Action Plan, has identified emerging market opportunities in Continental EU and Asian markets in particular for our food and drink exports. There is also potential in existing markets that are already well established such as the United Kingdom. Markets are becoming increasingly competitive and fast moving. The Agri Vision 2015 Plan of Action which I launched last year,...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The position is that under the Charter of Rights for Farmers, my Department is committed to ensuring the maximum level of integration of inspections across all areas including inspections under the Single Farm Payment Scheme, the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme and the Rural Environment Protection Scheme. This integration means that control checks are carried out in relation to eligibility of land...

Written Answers — Forestry Sector: Forestry Sector (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The remit of Coillte in relation to the provision and management of recreational woodland areas is currently set out in its Memorandum of Association. Coillte recognises its role in the provision of recreational facilities and has produced a revised and updated policy on recreation, 'Recreation Policy-Healthy Forests, Healthy Nation', which I launched in October 2005. I am keeping this...

Written Answers — Direct Payment Schemes: Direct Payment Schemes (8 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: My Department is in regular contact with the European Commission with a view to simplification of Single Payment Scheme requirements with particular reference to the arrangements for cross-compliance inspections. In this connection the European Commission is currently undertaking a full review of the cross-compliance regime and the results of that review will be considered by the Council of...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted an application for an allocation of entitlements from the 2006 Single Payment Scheme National Reserve under Category A. Category A caters for farmers who inherited land or received land free of charge or for a nominal sum from a farmer who had retired or died by 16 May, 2005 and who had leased out his/her holding to a third party during the reference period 2000 to...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The position is that an application for the Transfer of Entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme to the person named was submitted on the 18th December 2006. The application was accepted even though the closing date for receipt of completed applications to transfer entitlements was the 16th May 2006. During processing of the Transfer application it was necessary for an official of my...

Written Answers — Afforestation Programme: Afforestation Programme (20 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The requested planting rates are detailed in the table. Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Total 23,710 20,981 11,434 12,928 12,668 15,695 15,464 15,054 9,097 9,739 10,096 8,039 At this stage of the year it is difficult to predict the final planting rate for 2007 but provision has been made in my Department's Estimates for 10,000 hectares of new planting. An...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: This case is now being reviewed and my Department will write to the person named within the next two weeks setting out the position regarding the 2006 Single Payment Scheme.

Written Answers — Poultry Production: Poultry Production (20 Mar 2007)

Mary Coughlan: The criteria for free-range poultry production are set out in EU regulations on the marketing standards for poultrymeat. This legislation does not provide for Member States advancing financial assistance to producers. Such funding would contravene EU State Aid rules as it would put producers in one Member State at a competitive advantage vis a vis those in other countries. My Department's...