Results 8,261-8,280 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney
- Other Questions: Sugar Industry (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: Two studies have been carried out.
- Other Questions: Sugar Industry (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: Yes.
- Other Questions: Sugar Industry (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: The feasibility studies were very professionally done. Both of them were presented to me and both of them involved detailed meetings around the presentation of those feasibility studies. We then asked officials in the economics section of my Department to assess the feasibility of the business plans. It is important to say, though, that in order for those business plans to be viable, the...
- Other Questions: Coillte Teoranta Lands (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: The Deputy's question concerns the current position with regard to Coillte. Deputies will know that the Government made a decision in principle to move ahead with preparing for and investigating the possibility of a sale of Coillte forests. Essentially this involves selling the harvesting rights to commercial Coillte forests and the investigative and preparatory process is under way. Work...
- Other Questions: Coillte Teoranta Lands (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: The Government decision was straightforward. We are not selling the company or the land. The principal decision was to investigate and, if it makes sense to do so, proceed with the sale of harvesting rights for Coillte forests. This would involve selling crops early, just like farmers might sell 30% of their barley crops before they are mature. This is one option for realising the value...
- Other Questions: Coillte Teoranta Lands (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: As I noted earlier, if we proceed with the sales process, we intend to protect the State assets, in other words, the common good element of State-owned forests in terms of the land on which they sit. That includes public access. Most of the forests to which there is public access are not commercial crops. At least 25% of Coillte's estate comprises mature broadleaf forest primarily used for...
- Other Questions: Age Profile in the Farming Industry (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: Many people find it extraordinary that more farmers are over the age of 80 than under the age of 35. That is no basis for the kind of ambition we share for growth and innovation in the sector. This is not to imply there are no good farmers who are older than 80. Many of them are wise people who can teach the new generation.
- Other Questions: Age Profile in the Farming Industry (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: Large numbers of young people are enrolled in agricultural colleges. Over the past six years, the number has increased from 600 to 1,450 per year. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of young men and women who want to get into farming and we need to offer them a future. That is why an Irish proposal was taken on by the Commission as part of the Common Agricultural Policy...
- Other Questions: Age Profile in the Farming Industry (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: I agree with the Deputy that agricultural colleges, universities and institutes of technology that offer strong food and agricultural courses are hugely important. We do not have plans to build new agricultural colleges. What happened was that there was a dramatic fall-off in the numbers of young men, in particular, going to agricultural colleges. As a result, some of the colleges closed...
- Other Questions: Age Profile in the Farming Industry (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: All of the agricultural colleges have dorm facilities. Therefore, having to attend an agricultural college in another part of the country is not a disaster. I went to Gurteen agricultural college, which is a long way from where I live in Cork, and had a really good year there. I probably learned more in that year about farming than I did during my three year degree programme in...
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: I mentioned this issue earlier in connection with a matter raised by Deputy Martin Ferris. I would like to explain the decisions taken in last week's budget on the sheep grassland scheme. We had a three year grassland scheme which was costing the country approximately €18 million a year, using unspent funds under Pillar 1. The aim of the scheme and the idea behind it was to increase...
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: It is not.
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: It is going from €18 million to €17 million, when we include the €3 million being transferred for the sheep discussion groups
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: The scheme has been a success on a number of levels. We had seen sheep numbers reduce year on year and were getting to a stage where the perception was developing that a farmer could not make money from sheep farming. We had to put a scheme in place to help farmers to make more money from responsible sheep production and that was the origin of the sheep grassland scheme which was a three...
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: Is the Deputy trying to get in early?
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: None of that comes under the scheme we are discussing.
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: If the Acting Chairman allows, I will be happy to answer the question. There are only the four of us in the Chamber. The media have probably long since gone to bed.
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: This is a serious issue. I hope I have answered the questions on sheep farming. I answered questions on the beef sector for Deputy Martin Ferris, but I will respond to Deputy Mick Wallace. I am not targeting the small guys. The new scheme we are putting in place - a €10 million scheme - will ensure farmers with 20 or fewer suckler cows will receive payments on all of them. We made...
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: The point is that they are being asked to do a fraction of what they were previously asked to do. I agree that this was a great scheme. It improved the quality of suckler beef in Ireland and brought about significant changes in areas like animal husbandry, data collection and the general performance of those animals. While I would have put a new scheme in place anyway, I would have liked...
- Other Questions: Sheep Grassland Scheme (13 Dec 2012)
Simon Coveney: I will conclude by responding to the point made by Deputy Kirk. Half of the beef in Ireland comes from the suckler herd and the other half comes from the dairy herd. As I have said on many occasions, if we do not support the suckler herd, beef will simply become a by-product of the dairy industry as it expands and grows in the context of the elimination of quotas in 2015. I do not want...