Results 7,541-7,560 of 10,882 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: I congratulate Mr. O'Toole on his appointment, by the way. I met with his predecessor earlier in the term of this Dáil and in advance of the original application being submitted. I made the case for putting forward an all-Ireland PGI application. From my experience as an MEP, I was of the view that it stood much more likelihood of success, but there was resistance from Bord Bia in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: The difficulty is that the farmers I represent might have landholdings. Having spoken to them, I can tell Mr. O'Toole that cows and sheep do not recognise the Border. There is an anomaly, and it creates a situation, to which the Chair referred, that when we have farmers across Ireland competing against one another on price, the farmer loses. The processors will find a way of manipulating...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Could Mr. Murray refer to the specific question I asked about the suckler brand?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: That is not the question I asked, with due respect, and the clock is running down. Are there any conversations taking place with regard to making an application for a suckler PGI-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: That is okay. That is the question answered. As for some of the figures in Bord Bia's accounts - its financial statements - there is a reference to €4.9 million under promotions, trade fairs and other. Then there is a €44 million spend under marketing and promotional expenditure. What is the difference between those two figures, can anyone tell me?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Within the financial statements there is a line referring to just under €5 million for promotions, trade fairs and other. Then there is another line referring to €44 million-plus for marketing and promotional expenditure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: It is therefore the source of the funding as opposed to its expenditure. Is that what Mr. O'Toole is saying, that this is the difference between the two?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Under the promotions heading, in 2020 there was a line that indicated €174,000 on organics, but that figure was zero in 2021. Is that because that has moved into another line, or what is the rationale for that? To bring it to the crux, my question is how much was spent on the promotion of organic products last year, in 2022.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Okay. Maybe we will start from that point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Yes. That is because if Bord Bia is spending €50 million on promotional activity across the two lines to which I have referred, and €1 million, that is about 2%.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: That is in line with the current output, absolutely, but it is nowhere in line with the ambition. If we are to move from the current output to the ambition, the argument would be that the promotion has to be front-led as opposed to following suit because one of the barriers to people entering into organics is that they are unsure as to whether or not there will be a market for their product.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: I will just say, and this is a point as opposed to a question, that we need to go way beyond €1 million if we are to create a market for organics. My final question relates to the sustainable beef and lamb assurance scheme and the carbon footprint report that Bord Bia carries out. Can Mr. O'Toole give the committee a little information in terms of how broadly a report of that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: That is helpful. I thank Ms Ryan, the Chair and committee members for their indulgence.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Strategic Direction of Bord Bia: Discussion (22 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: Bord Bia has no indication of a timeframe at all, so it is like a piece of string, as far as Bord Bia is concerned, is it?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: The letter answers a question that was not asked. At least, I do not believe we asked for a definitive final cost. We asked for an estimate of the final cost. The Department's response refers to a definitive estimate, though, which is a contradictory term in itself. Something is either definitive or an estimate. We asked for an estimate. It is not feasible for the Department to say it...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: According to the evidence we have received, the purchasers have made that back and more over the nine years. Is that not correct?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: I believe that was the evidence. My understanding is that whatever the organisation manages to sell the licence for is clean new profit, which raises significant questions about the competence of the people who privatised the lottery service in the first place. We should ask whether consideration is being given to purchasing the licence. There are 11 years left in its life, as it is...

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: I am trying to pull up the original letter we received. The questions we asked related to the fact a package was provided to the former chief executive officer. We subsequently got a figure for that, did we not?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: What was it?

Public Accounts Committee: Business of Committee (23 Mar 2023)

Matt Carthy: It was in breach of the-----