Results 11,021-11,040 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: We need to be careful not to fall into the trap of trying to produce schemes here that are popular for certain sectors. We need to step back and ask what are the vulnerable sectors in agriculture that need support, as opposed to what is going to win the support of 50% plus one. We need to look at our Food Harvest 2020 plans and at sectors that are vulnerable, that are not performing or that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: I am under a bit of time pressure too, but that is my own fault. In response to questions about sugar, I have always said that I would love to see the sugar industry rebuilt in Ireland, but I have also said I am not going to consider supporting that financially and committing public money to it only to see it collapse at some stage in the future. Any rebuilding of the industry must be based...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: We can facilitate a meeting for any member who wishes it; we do this all the time. If the Senator wants a detailed meeting to tease out some complex land arrangements which may be in place in County Kilkenny, that can be arranged.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and I are working to ensure that we draw down all available money. We also have funding to draw down under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS. As a result, we will be working to ensure that there will be full draw-down between now and the end of 2015. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: That is a different issue.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: The proposal in question relates to a Pillar 2 scheme which is designed to match environmental management of sensitive geographical or mountainous areas with farming. This very interesting proposal was put forward by the Wicklow Uplands Council and, to some degree, it mirrors what was done in the context of a small environmental farming scheme that was put in place in the Burren. We only...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: No, I did not. I stated that Pillar 2 would take longer. We are already in the middle of a consultation process in respect of it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: I thank Ms Josephine Kelly, one of my officials, for her patience. As members are aware, the Common Fisheries Policy has not received the attention it merits. The agreement relating to it was negotiated at the same time as that pertaining to the CAP. In many ways the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is much more radical. This was necessary because the existing policy was not as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: One must focus on what we can actually change rather than be unrealistic.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: I am sorry if I came across as being irritated at the start of the Senator's contribution, but we all have a responsibility to try to give leadership. There are certain things I cannot do, even if I want to. I would love to renegotiate relative stability but to do that I need to get a majority of member states to support me. There is not a single other member state that would support...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Senator. On transfers between countries, there is a system of swaps on which Josephine Kelly is probably the global expert, given that she uses it every year to try to get some of our sectors out of a hole in terms of getting some more quota. That system continues into the new CFP.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: Yes. That happens through what are called the RACs, which are regional committees with industry people sitting on them. The industry will be centrally involved in the regional decision-making process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: Whether we like it or not, and I do not, we are stuck with relative stability, under which the stock is split among countries in certain percentages. That percentage does not change. As the stock increases, we get our percentage increase. That is the way it works. I omitted to make a point earlier which I should make, and both Deputies present will understand it because they know the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: To answer that point, let us say that one had ten tonnes of cod to catch in the current system, but the ISIS advice is on the basis of a discard rate of 30% for that species. It is quite a complex calculation, but the recommendation on a new quota will have to be based on what a fisherman can avoid, or not avoid, catching. If half the extra 3,000 tonnes of discarded fish is juvenile fish,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: That is correct.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Reform of Common Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy: Discussion with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (18 Jul 2013)

Simon Coveney: All we can do in terms of science is to get better every year. Fishermen need to opt into this by taking observers on board and showing them the proof of why they do not believe the science. We also need to try to maintain and increase resources for the Marine Institute and others who are doing that research. An Irish person from the Marine Institute is the current head of ISIS. The...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Coillte Pension Scheme (18 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: Coillte Teoranta was established as a private commercial company under the Forestry Act, 1988. The types of pension schemes currently operated by Coillte and their respective deficits/surpluses are as stated in the Company’s Annual Report 2012, copies of which were laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas at the end of July 2013. As the defined benefit Coillte Teoranta No. 1 Fund...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Premium Payments (18 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: The applicant in question has two forestry contracts. The second instalment of the establishment grants for these two forestry plantations have not been paid due to outstanding remedial works. In July 2011 the applicant was notified of the works needed to bring the first site up to standard. In July 2012 she was notified that works were also required on the other plantation. The first...