Results 7,361-7,380 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Applications (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: Processing of the application concerned has recently been completed and payments under the Single Payment Scheme and Disadvantaged Areas Scheme will shortly issue to the nominated bank account of the person named.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Applications (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: My Department has no record of the original application in question having been submitted online or in hard copy. However the person named submitted an appeal against the late submission of the 2011 application and this has been accepted on the grounds of Force Majeure. Payment will issue to the nominated bank account of the person named in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare Issues (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: Welfare issues relating to circus animals currently come under the scope of the Protection of Animals Acts 1911 and 1965. This legislation is being repealed under the Animal Health and Welfare Bill which I have brought forward. The new Bill strengthens legislation relating to the obligations placed upon animal keepers and owners in terms of food, housing and general care. With regard to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Safety Standards (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) under the aegis the Minister for Health has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food safety in Ireland. It carries out this remit through service contracts with my Department and other agencies including the Health Service Executive (HSE), Local Authority Veterinary Service and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority. If a farm uses its...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Conditions (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: The priorities for selecting applications for AEOS 3 are set out in the Scheme Terms and Conditions. Privately Owned Natura land where applicants have a minimum of 0.5 hectares of utilisable agricultural area of either Special Protection Areas or Special Areas of Conservation are ranked first in order of priority. In the event that the number of applicants in this category exceeds the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: Processing of the application concerned has recently been completed and payments under the Single Payment Scheme and Disadvantaged Areas Scheme will shortly issue to the nominated bank account of the person named.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Fisheries Policy Reform (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: Discarding is a global problem and a complex one, where unwanted catches are returned to the sea as a result of a number of factors including quota restrictions, high grading, minimum landing sizes, and market conditions. Ireland has been to the forefront in the drive to reduce and eliminate discards for many years and have taken a number of initiatives to this aim. I launched an Irish...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: Processing of the application concerned has recently been completed and payments under the Single Payment Scheme and Disadvantaged Areas Scheme will shortly issue to the nominated bank account of the person named.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Suckler Welfare Scheme Payments (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: The total amount paid to participants in the Suckler Welfare Scheme to date amounts to almost €135 million. This Scheme is a five-year Scheme for beef animals born during the period, which commenced on 1 January 2008 and will end on 31 December 2012. The primary objectives of the Scheme was to improve welfare standards in the sector and to assist in the establishment of a breeding...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Suckler Welfare Scheme Application Numbers (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: The table below sets out the numbers of herds, animals and amounts paid by County under the Suckler Welfare Scheme since 1 January 2011. COUNTY HERDS PAID TOTAL ANIMALS PAID TOTAL AMOUNT PAID € CARLOW 2,199 18,696 755,152 CAVAN 6,026 44,820 1,806,208 CLARE 9,495 73,050 2,947,842...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Services for People with Disabilities (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: Customers of my Department who suffer from dyslexia can obtain assistance on any Department scheme by phoning any of the dedicated phone lines provided in Department publications and on the main Department website. The website has the “BrowseAloud” facility to read web pages aloud for people with literacy and visual impairments. My Department also has Access Officers and an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agrifood Sector (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: I receive submissions on a regular basis from the farming organisations and also from other stakeholders involved in the development of the agri-food sector and I very much value the input received. In relation to the CAP reform process, at the commencement of the negotiations, a consultative committee was established comprising all of the main stakeholders. This committee meets on a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare Issues (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 888 to 890, inclusive, 893 and 933 together. The pig sector remains the third largest individual component of the agri-food sector, with production, prices and exports all growing significantly during 2011. The industry faces a number of challenges in the short and medium term and my Department will continue to assist the sector to resolve these issues. New...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Dairy Sector (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: Ireland strongly supported the abolition of milk quotas from 2015 as they were widely regarded by both the Irish dairy sector and market analysts as a brake on the potential of the sector to respond positively to opportunities in the market. I expect that the Irish dairy sector will fully exploit this potential following the abolition of milk quotas on the 1st of April 2015. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: I am confident that the beef sector has a positive future, based on expanding global demand, and that the ambitious targets which it set for itself in Food Harvest 2020 can be met. Notwithstanding the ongoing consolidation of the public finances, my Department and the agencies under its remit continue to provide an array of financial and infrastructural supports to underpin production and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sheepmeat Sector (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: I am committed to supporting the sheep industry, which makes a valuable contribution to the overall agri-food sector. In this regard I very much welcome the fact that the declining trend in numbers in our national flock has been reversed and that our sheep numbers are now increasing. This reflects a growing sense of confidence amongst our sheep farmers in terms of rebuilding breeding stock...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Severe Weather Events (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 895 and 896 together. This year has indeed been a very difficult one for the farming sector as a result of inclement weather. The very wet weather during the summer months resulted in reduced grass growth and a reduction in yield and quality across a variety of crops including cereals, potatoes and vegetables. In many cases, housing of stock has taken...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Dairy Sector (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: Irish exports in the agri food sector have performed strongly in recent years, and I believe that it is well positioned to take advantage of future increases in demand arising from increasing global population. The Food Harvest 2020 report sets out the strategic vision for the agri-food and fishing sector. From a dairying perspective, the ending of milk quotas in 2015 represents an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry Development (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: Both Food Harvest 2020 and Action Plan for Jobs 2012 recognise that most of the potential for increased employment in the seafood sector is in the areas of processing and aquaculture. Food Harvest 2020 aims to increase employment in the seafood sector as a whole, from the present approximately 11,000 to 14,000 by 2020. I am advised by Bord Iascaigh Mhara that some 2,870 people are...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Labelling (6 Nov 2012)

Simon Coveney: The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) under the aegis the Minister for Health has overall responsibility for the enforcement of food safety in Ireland. This includes the enforcement of food labelling regulations. It carries out this remit through service contracts with my Department and other agencies including the Health Service Executive (HSE), Local Authorities, the Sea Fisheries...