Results 10,381-10,400 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Research and Development Funding (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: The funding provided for my Department's competitive research programme in 2017 amounts to €18.2 million. This funding covers the Food Institutional Research Measures (FIRM) €5.4m, Research Stimulus Funds (RSF) €11m and Competitive Forest Research for Development funds (CoFoRD) €1.8m. The funding is provided, on a competitive basis, to public institutes in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: Most productive marginal land is already eligible for planting and many farmers avail of the generous grants and premiums on offer to plant their productive marginal land. There are some restrictions on planting land in designated areas and other environmentally sensitive areas. There is also a restriction on the proportion of unenclosed land, Grant Premium Category 1(GPC1) planted, capped...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation Programme (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: The current forestry programme does not differentiate between a “farmer” and “non-farmer” but targets funding at all landowners who wish to convert lands to forestry. It is important to note that the non-farmer category also includes recently retired farmers and the family members of existing farmers and on that basis I am satisfied that the vast bulk of forestry...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation Programme (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: I understand that this question relates to land set aside as part of a forestry application. I believe the existing provisions to pay landowners for areas left unplanted for environmental reasons are proportionate and adequate. Under the current Environmental Requirements for Afforestation, between 10-15% of the afforestation site must be treated with particular regard to biodiversity,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forest Roads Scheme (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: The Forest Road Scheme is offered to farmers to facilitate harvesting of their crop of trees. The scheme which grant aids farmers to build private forest roads on their holding is important to enable the sector to fully mobilise the volume of timber in private hands. Currently consent is required from my Department to build a forest road and in addition if the forest road requires a...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation Programme (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: The Forestry Programme 2014-2020 includes a specific measure to fund the establishment of new producer groups for private forest owners. Applicants would need to submit a detailed business plan providing a description of the project, including objectives, timelines and projected expenditure. So far the Department has received no applications under this measure; however my Department is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Flood Relief Schemes Funding (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: The Arterial Drainage Acts of 1945 and 1995 provide the Office of Public Works with powers for drainage and improvement of agricultural land and the undertaking of localised flood defence schemes to reduce flood risk in urban areas. The Arterial Drainage Acts and SI 122 of 2010 Regulations also introduced OPW consent requirements for the creation and modification of watercourses,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff Recruitment (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: The Public Appointments Service (PAS) initiated a Technical Agricultural Officer (TAO) recruitment campaign on behalf of my Department in May 2016. To date, 36 new Technical Agricultural Officers have been recruited to my Department nationally. Business needs in my Department’s offices in Co. Donegal are filled in the first instance through an internal transfer system, whereby...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Shared Services (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: The Payroll Shared Services Centre (PSSC), which was established in 2013, is part of the Government's National Shared Services Office with overall responsibility for payroll processing functions, including the issuing of P45s to former staff of my Department. I understand from the PSSC that the delay in issuing the P45 to the individual in question is due to a backlog with the issuing of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: Under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS II) a suite of seven measures are available. Support is available under the following measures: - Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme; - Dairy Equipment Scheme; - Organic Capital Investment Scheme; - Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme; - Low Emission Slurry Spreading; - Pig and Poultry Capital Investment...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Tillage Sector (17 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: In Ireland, up to 80% of animal feed for ruminants is provided by grass, hay and silage, complemented where appropriate, by compound feeds. In the case of pigs and poultry, virtually all their nutrition is derived from compound feeds. Ireland imports approx 2.8 million tonnes (2016 figures) of animal feed materials per annum and the total annual usage of feed materials is approx. 4.9...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: Bord na gCon is a commercial State body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. Bord na gCon is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Accordingly, the information being requested by the Deputy has been forwarded to Bord na gCon for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme Payments (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: An application under the 2017 Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme was received from the person named on 12 May 2017. Processing of this application is now completed and payment will issue directly to the nominated bank account of the person named shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation Programme (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: In 2010, a change was made in Ireland’s scheme rules that limited the amount of unenclosed land in any one afforestation application to 20%. Unenclosed land is usually found in upland areas and is generally less fertile than enclosed or improved land found at lower elevations.  There is compelling evidence surrounding the difference in productivity of tree species planted on...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Afforestation Programme (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: My Department publishes annual afforestation statistics which are available on its website.  Those statistics include numbers of farmers and non-farmers who participate in afforestation each year.  Those numbers are set out in the following table, for 2014 to 2016, which are the most recent available figures. It should be noted that the non-farmer category is...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Alternative Energy Projects (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: I welcomed the Minister for Finance’s announcement in the Budget to provide for the leasing of agricultural land for solar panels to be classified as qualifying agricultural activity for the purposes of specific Capital Acquisitions Tax and Capital Gains Tax reliefs. This initiative, which I sought in my annual agri-taxation Budget submission, is subject to the panels covering no more...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fish Farming (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: My Department has been advised by the Marine Institute that the aquaculture site referred to by the Deputy experienced a disease outbreak in advance of the jellyfish strike. On 21 September my Department received an inquiry from Inland Fisheries Ireland concerning large quantities of dead fish at the site referred to by the Deputy. Inquiries by my Department’s Marine Engineering...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fish Farming (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: Ireland’s €240 million European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Operational Programme 2014-20 provides €29.6 million to support the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector, in accordance with the 2015 National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development. This includes a €2 million fund to aid mollusc farmers affected by suspension of harvesting of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Scheme Eligibility (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: In order to be eligible for an automatic allocation of entitlements under the Basic Payment Scheme, a farmer must have been eligible to receive a direct payment under the 2013 Single Payment Scheme. The person named commenced farming under the herd as supplied in September 2014 and prior to this he held a separate herd number from 12 June 2012 until 31 August 2014.  He did not hold...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme Payments (18 Oct 2017)

Michael Creed: An application under the 2016 ANC Scheme was received from the person named on 6 April 2016.    Under the 2016 ANC Scheme, eligible applicants were required to meet a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per eligible forage hectare for a retention period of seven consecutive months and to maintain an annual average of 0.15 livestock units calculated over the twelve...