Results 10,461-10,480 of 23,991 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (22 Oct 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: Under the regulations governing the previous Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Ireland consolidated, or stacked, payment entitlements. Certain categories of farmers could surrender their original payment entitlements to the National Reserve. In exchange, these farmers received a lower number of payment entitlements with an increased payment entitlement unit value. The EU regulations...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Basic Payment Scheme (22 Oct 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: All applications for schemes such as the Basic Payment Scheme are subject to the standard range of verification checks as required under the relevant EU legislation.  As part of this process, my Department issues letters to applicants where issues such as potential overclaims arise.  In such cases, it remains open to all applicants to respond to the identification of overclaims etc,...

Level 5 Response to Covid-19: Statements (Resumed) (23 Oct 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I welcome the opportunity to update the House on a notice issued by my Department for the hand sanitiser product, Virapro. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the national competent authority for the approval and registration of biocide products, including sanitisers. Biocidal products, including hand sanitisers, may only be marketed and used in Ireland once they are...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Regulations (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: It is certainly good to see so many in the Chamber this late in the evening. I have no doubt that by the time we finish these questions, we will know a little more about what is in store across the Atlantic than we do now. Biocidal products, including hand sanitisers, may only be marketed and used in Ireland once they have been registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Regulations (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: As I outlined, it is a paper-based application process for a licence from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Once that is approved by the Department and the composition of any sanitiser is made clear in respect of the licences provided, the legal responsibility is then on the company to ensure it actually meets the requirements of the licence which was provided. There is...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: EU Regulations (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I assure Deputy Carthy that I am certainly the one who is responsible and in charge here. I am very clearly of the view that I should have been informed on 16 October, or whenever the recall notice was issued to the company. Recalls are not unusual. They tend to be operational in nature so they would not always be escalated within the Department. This one should have been, given the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Livestock Issues (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy will be aware, on 19 October the Taoiseach announced that the whole country would move to level 5 of the framework for living with Covid-19 for a period of six weeks, starting at midnight on Wednesday, 21 October. This decision was made on foot of strong evidence presented to the Government of a potentially grave situation arising in the weeks ahead. For marts this meant a...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Livestock Issues (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I have been monitoring the situation very closely and talking to farmers and mart operators up and down the country. As I have outlined, there was a difficulty with one online platform provider last Saturday week which led to four marts out of 30 not being able to complete their sales. However, overall there has been a lot of success with the sales operating online. Very important from my...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Livestock Issues (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy. I have had many discussions with many farmers who would prefer to be operating level 3 restrictions and I have no doubt the Deputy's message is the same as mine, which is there is a personal responsibility on everyone to act responsibly for their own health, and for the health of their neighbours and friends, by following social distancing and the public health guidelines...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Veterinary Medicines (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which she has raised previously. It is an important issue for many licensed merchants throughout the country. I know it is a cause of concern. I will outline the situation. Regulation (EU) 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal products is due to come into effect in January 2022. This regulation is binding in full and has direct effect on all member...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Veterinary Medicines (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy. The scientific testing on the antiparasitics will be done at national level and will be verifiable and done in accordance with prescribed specifications. I have met many licensed merchants for whom this is a significant part of their business. Many of them have trained and responsible persons on their premises who oversee the sale of these products. I know how...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Veterinary Medicines (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I will be guided by the work of the stakeholder forum in examining what options are available to try to ensure the business of licensed merchants is not affected while at the same time ensuring we are compliant with the EU regulations to which we are legally bound to adhere. My understanding is that at present Ireland, apart from the UK, is the only EU country that does not have veterinary...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Beef Industry (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy and I know this is something that received much attention during the beef protests last year and has also received much attention since then with regard to the beef task force. The Deputy knows there is not a rule as such limiting the age of cattle or the number of movements for beef production, but meat processors do make in-spec bonus payments in respect of cattle that...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Beef Industry (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I am very much aware of the income pressure many farmers are under. That is why in the recent budget I secured an 11% increase in funding above last year's amount to ensure that some key schemes will continue next year during the transition period running into the next CAP programme. That is something which is massively important for our farming community. Also, in the context of trying to...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Beef Industry (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I am glad to hear that the Deputy will work with me on the policies I will be seeking to implement in respect of this matter because I have not seen any policies from Sinn Féin that would address it at all. I expect to see the report Grant Thornton is preparing on the relationship and the requirements of retailers and how that interfaces with processors and primary producers very soon....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Sales (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 36 together. I wish Deputy Cairns a happy birthday. I hope she finds a way to celebrate it in later years other than the way we are celebrating it tonight. I hope the day ahead finishes better than the way it is starting, that is, here in the Chamber. I thank the staff for being here with us. I take the Deputy's point on the late hour at which we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Sales (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: On Sixmilebridge mart, which Deputy Crowe raised with me before, I believe it did manage to finish its sale last Saturday. With regard to marts' sales in general online, the clearance rates have been very high and very much in line with traditional mart clearance rates. They are certainly very similar. On Deputy Cairns's point, I am certainly monitoring the position very closely. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Sales (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputies Cairns and Crowe for raising this issue. We should acknowledge that being able to bid online in the safety of their home and not having to go out has been welcome for some farmers. There is no doubt there have been challenges for those who do not have Internet access. Compared with the situation in March and April where online transactions were not available and we had a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Environmental Schemes (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for his question. I take this opportunity to emphasise my commitment to the provision of agri-environment schemes which will continue to support the farming sector in these uncertain times, along with continuing the environmental benefits that such schemes have delivered. This commitment was demonstrated by a number of key provisions in my Department’s budget...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Environmental Schemes (3 Nov 2020)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy will know, 35,000 farmers were due to leave GLAS at the end of this year. Importantly, the recent budget provides funding to ensure that GLAS can roll over for those farmers to enable them to continue in it next year. Obviously, a number of farmers are outside GLAS and are not in any scheme. The intention is to put in place a pilot scheme for a number of those farmers, which...