Results 1,081-1,100 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Sugar Beet Industry: Sugar Beet Industry (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The EU Commission outlined its initial ideas for reform of the EU sugar regime in a communication to the Council and the European Parliament last July. The communication was the subject of technical discussions at Council working group level in Brussels and there was a policy debate at the Council of Agriculture Ministers' meeting in November. The European Commission's initial ideas for...

Written Answers — Sugar Beet Industry: Sugar Beet Industry (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 178 together. The possibility of producing bio-fuel from sugar beet is ultimately a commercial matter for Irish Sugar Limited. The company has indicated that following the closure of the Carlow plant, it intends to process the full Irish sugar quota at its Mallow plant, which will be upgraded. Arrangements are being made to transport the sugar beet...

Written Answers — Modulated Funds: Modulated Funds (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The modulated funds become available for use in 2006. I will decide on their use and seek the necessary EU approval in the coming months. Currently, my Department is finalising its examination of the relevant options. As part of that examination, there has been a widespread public consultation and discussions with stakeholders. The use of modulated funds in 2006 is limited to certain...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, was established under the Agriculture (Research, Training and Advice) Act 1988. Its function under the Act is to provide research, training and advisory services for the agri-food sector. Teagasc is governed by an 11 member authority. The chairman and five ordinary members are appointed by the Minister and the remaining five members are...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person named submitted two applications under the 2004 EU special beef premium scheme, one dated 8 March 2004, in respect of 16 animals and one dated 6 December 2004, in respect of ten animals. Following computer validation it was found that ten of the 16 animals applied for on 8 March 2004 were not recorded on the CMMS database as being in the herd of the person named on the date of...

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: A total of 2,597 applications have been received under the current early retirement scheme since its introduction in November 2000. Of these, 105 are currently being processed. In the 12-month period from 1 March 2004 to 28 February 2005, a total of 213 applications were approved and nine rejected.

Written Answers — Pet Food Imports: Pet Food Imports (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Under Community rules the importation of animal products which have already been incorporated within pet foods and which are destined for meat eating animals is provided for subject to certain conditions. Data supplied by the Central Statistics Office indicate that the total quantity of pet food imported into this country during 2003 was 42,753 tonnes and for 2004 a total of 31,120 tonnes has...

Written Answers — World Trade Negotiations: World Trade Negotiations (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Significant progress was made towards a new WTO trade round with the framework agreement which was concluded in Geneva in August 2004. The main elements of the framework agreement can be summarised as follows: domestic support — a substantial reduction in the levels of trade-distorting domestic support, a ceiling on each WTO member's expenditure on direct payments to farmers under...

Written Answers — Animal Feedstuffs: Animal Feedstuffs (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy will recall, January 2001 saw the introduction by the EU of a total ban on the use of certain processed animal proteins, which includes mammalian meat and bonemeal, in the diets of farmed animals because of it being a probable cause of BSE. Ireland, in implementing this total ban and in recognition of the importance of the export trade, increased its level of sampling for...

Written Answers — Purchase for Destruction Scheme: Purchase for Destruction Scheme (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in tabular form below. The purchase for destruction scheme, PFD, ran from January to June 2001 and removed 278,000 animals of which 87,217 or 31% were cows. The PFD was followed closely by the special purchase scheme, SPS, which ran from June 2001 to March 2002. A total of 215,650 cows were slaughtered in Ireland under the SPS, representing...

Written Answers — Beef Industry: Beef Industry (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Last year Ireland produced 560,000 tonnes of beef, the highest level of output since 2001. Some 88% or 493,000 tonnes was exported and the balance was consumed on the domestic market. The UK is the main export market for Irish beef and absorbed 264,000 tonnes in 2004. An additional 174,000 tonnes was exported to continental EU markets. The EU now comprises 90% of our total exports compared...

Written Answers — Sheepmeat Sector: Sheepmeat Sector (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Some 72,000 tonnes of sheepmeat was produced in Ireland last year, of which 51,500 tonnes was exported and the remainder consumed on the domestic market. Ireland has an export surplus of sheepmeat which is sold primarily to France and the UK where it competes with high quality third country imports. These are highly sophisticated and discerning markets, and Irish lamb has commanded resilient...

Written Answers — Pigmeat Sector: Pigmeat Sector (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Last year, some 204,000 tonnes of pigmeat was produced in Ireland. Over 40% of this was consumed on the domestic market and sold primarily through the multiple retailers. Some 114,000 tonnes of pigmeat was exported in 2004 and over half serviced the UK market where a substantial proportion was sold through the multiple retailers. Irish pigmeat commercial sales are competitive both at home and...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The route to the food market for the Irish food industry is determined by its ability to compete in the marketplace and respond to consumer demand for quality, taste, nutrition and increasingly speciality products. Investment in marketing and market intelligence is crucial to success and on the supply side, world-class management and skills at production, processing and distribution stages is...

Written Answers — Poultry Industry: Poultry Industry (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Under harmonised EU legislation, a series of health and safety requirements are applied in the member states to ensure that animal products are produced to standards that guarantee the safety of food and the protection of human and animal health. Poultrymeat imported from third countries must meet standards at least equivalent to those required for production in the EU. It must come from...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The implementation of the nitrates directive is a matter in the first instance for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, who will give effect to the national action programme under the directive by way of regulations. The provisions of the nitrates directive are among the statutory management requirements to be respected by farmers under the single payment scheme....

Written Answers — Milk Quota: Milk Quota (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Allocations of milk quota from the national reserve are granted on the basis of recommendations from the milk quota appeals tribunal. The tribunal is a body established to consider and advise on applications for additional quota from individual producers who have suffered severe hardship in the context of the milk quota system. The tribunal also considers applications from producers whose...

Written Answers — Land Commission: Land Commission (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The number of trusts set up by the former Land Commission-Congested Districts Board and currently recorded by my Department on a county basis is set out in the following list. In the case of sportsfield trusts they vary in size from two hectares, up to — in a few cases only — 100 hectares for cowpark-turbary trusts. The average size for cowpark-turbary trusts would generally be around 13...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (2 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The details of cheques that were uncashed, that is, out of date and not re-issued, as at 31 December 2004 for the calendar years 2002, 2003 and 2004 are set out in the following table: Year Issued No. Uncashed Cheques Value of cheques 100% funded by the EU Value of cheques nationally funded or EU co-financed Total Value â'¬ â'¬ â'¬ 2002 6,728 495,220 390,078 885,298 ...

Order of Business. (3 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: This is what I call a front bench.