Results 10,121-10,140 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Passports (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: There are currently eight organisations approved under EU and National Legislation by my Department to maintain equine studbooks. These studbooks are subject to regular inspections by my officials. The role of studbooks includes the registration of animals, the operation of breed improvement programmes and the pursuit of measures to preserve and promote the breed for which the approval is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Labelling (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 49 together. I refer the Deputies to the report I presented to the Dáil on 14th March last on the 'Equine DNA and Mislabelling of Processed Beef Investigation', which includes a section on the actions taken and proposed to be taken both at national and at EU level. Key action points included the following: - The introduction of a national DNA...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Payments (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The figures requested by the Deputy are set out in a table. COUNTY No. Paid No. Not Paid % Paid CARLOW 1625 8 99.51% CAVAN 4713 12 99.75% CLARE 6013 20 99.67% CORK 12797 46 99.64% DONEGAL 7994 25 99.69% DUBLIN 623 3 99.52% GALWAY 11763 93 99.22% KERRY 7557 28 99.63% KILDARE 2014 11 99.46% KILKENNY 3413 6 ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Slaughter Statistics (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The numbers of horses slaughtered for human consumption since 2011 in plants approved under the EU Food Hygiene regulations are set out in a table on a monthly basis. - 2011 2012 2013 January 1124 2153 2432 February 1368 2099 1179 March 1459 2006 775 April 1260 1505 779 May 1450 1694 June 1535 1606 July 1121 1529 August 1179 1864 September 1833...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Coillte Teoranta Harvesting Rights Sale (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I have not been in a position to accede to a request from the Irish Timber Council to meet with them personally in relation to the proposed sale of the harvesting rights of Coillte, mainly due to commitments related to the Irish Presidency. I have received a copy of the report by EPS Consulting for the Irish Timber Council, on “The impacts on the sawmill sector arising from the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Parking Charges (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 36 together. The House has been aware that I have been considering introducing a charge for parking facilities within Howth Fishery Harbour Centre for some time, - to assist in operating Howth Fishery Harbour Centre on a financially-sound basis, - to provide a source of revenue for further investment in Fishery Harbour Centre facilities, - as part...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Applications (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Despite the challenging budgetary constraints facing my Department, last year I allocated €20 million annually to fund the Agri-Environment Options Scheme (AEOS) and on foot of this I announced the re-opening of the scheme. I decided on a maximum payment of €4,000 per annum for individual applicants which, on the basis of previous experience in implementing the scheme, indicated...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sugar Quotas Abolition (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The future of sugar quotas is one of the issues currently under consideration in the negotiations on reform of the CAP. The proposal of the EU Commission is that these quotas should be abolished with effect from 30 September 2015. In discussions at the EU Council of Ministers, differing views emerged on the Commission proposal with some Member States in favour of retention of quotas until...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Coillte Teoranta Harvesting Rights Sale (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Further to the Government's decision that a concession for the harvesting rights to Coillte's forests be considered for sale, NewERA, Coillte, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and my Department have worked to examine the financial and other implications of a potential transaction. Substantial work has been undertaken on the identification of the forestry assets involved, the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Fisheries Policy Negotiations (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the official collaborative management mechanism for fisheries policy in the European Union. First put in place in 1983, it has been subject to reviews every 10 years, and is currently undergoing a reform process the important elements of which are expected to be concluded during the Irish Presidency. The CFP reform proposal essentially involves three...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Usage (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The EU Commission’s proposal on greening obliges farmers to comply with three greening criteria in order to attract the greening payment. These criteria are crop diversification, maintenance of permanent pasture and establishment of ecological focus areas. The criteria and conditions for receipt of the greening payment are still under active discussion between the EU Commission,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Rural Environment Protection Scheme Payments (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: There are currently a total of 30,284 participants in REPS4. To date 28,937 of these have been paid 100% of their 2012 REPS4 entitlement. A further 216 have been paid 75% of their REPS4 entitlement for 2012 and the balancing payment of 25% will be made to them within the next week. A total of approximately 1,000 participants have yet to receive any payment under REPS4. Outstanding 2012...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I can confirm that the redistributive payment proposal is still on the table. This proposal, which gives Member States the option of using up to 30% of the national ceiling for a top-up payment to farmers on hectares up to the national average farm size or up to 30 hectares, forms part of the General Approach on CAP reform agreed by the Council of Ministers last March. This option is an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I am in regular contact with my colleagues from other Member States and the EU institutions regarding the Common Agricultural Policy negotiations. I chaired a full discussion of the CAP reform proposals at the most recent meeting of the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers a little over two weeks ago and I had the opportunity for informal discussions with the Agriculture Commissioner and a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Eligibility (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Payments under the 2012 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme commenced, on target, on 26 September 2012 which is much earlier than in the vast majority of Member States across the European Union. To date, payments worth in excess of €207 million have issued to 94,671 of the total of 102,072 who applied. Many applicants, who declare land situated in a Disadvantaged Areas, are found not to be...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse Statistics (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I understand that a study entitled “Economic Contribution of the Sport Horse Industry to the Irish Economy” carried out by UCD in 2012 and commissioned by Horse Sport Ireland estimated the current population of sport horses registered with Passport Issuing Organisations at 124,000. I also understand from estimates provided by Weatherbys Ireland and Horse Racing Ireland that...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Milk Price Issues (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The regulation of milk for liquid consumption is a matter for the National Milk Agency, which was established under the Milk (Regulation of Supply) Act, 1994. This legislation provides that pasteurised milk produced in the State cannot be sold for liquid consumption unless it has been produced under a contract registered with the National Milk Agency. It also provides, inter alia , that the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Reform (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The database created by my Department, based on payments made to farmers in 2010, was established for the specific purpose of modelling the impacts of alternative approaches to internal convergence, rather than to deal with all of the Commission proposals on direct payments or to capture the effect of CAP budget cuts, changes in modulation and so on. Thus, it does not capture the effects of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Reform (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Since I assumed office over two years ago, the EU agriculture agenda has been dominated by discussion of CAP reform. I have had innumerable discussions with the EU Commission on the content and impact of the proposals, both before they were formally adopted by the Commission and presented to Member States in October 2011 and since. The Commission proposals envisage a strong future CAP...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Aquaculture Development (8 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: The bays referred to by the Deputy are designated as Special Areas of Conservation under the EU Habitats Directive and/or Special Protection Areas under the EU Birds Directive (Natura 2000 sites). All applications in ‘Natura’ areas are required to be appropriately assessed for the purpose of environmental compliance with the EU Birds and Habitats Directives. My Department, in...