Results 11,141-11,160 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Administration (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: I am glad this question has been tabled because it gives me the opportunity to clarify an issue about which I suspect many farmers will ask me tomorrow at the ploughing championships. The Deputy will be fully aware of the importance of payments made under the single payment scheme, the disadvantaged areas scheme and other direct payment schemes to the annual income of Irish farmers. My...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Administration (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: No, it is not. I will explain how and why this happened. Every year we look at maps that have been used for applications and assess approximately one-quarter of them. Where there are inaccuracies and land that is not eligible for payment, we ask farmers to correct them. That is normal practice. However, the Commission is not satisfied with the way this has been done and has asked us to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Administration (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Administration (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: It would be highly irresponsible to encourage farmers to take the course the Deputy has just described because it would be a waste of their time and resources were they to do so. The legalities relating to this matter are very clear. The rules are outlined to farmers when they complete the relevant forms each year.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Administration (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: If a farmer makes an application in respect of land that is not eligible, the onus is on him or her to correct the position. We are following up on this matter and we have the technology to do so much more accurately than was the case in the past. We are required by the Commission to do it in respect of every land parcel throughout the country rather than simply proceeding, as was...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Administration (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: The second issue is that a disallowance essentially amounts to the same thing as a fine. The Deputy was in government for a period and he clearly does not understand how the relationship between the Commission and my Department works in the context of disallowances. If we obtain a disallowance, we are obliged to pay it back. A disallowance is money which the Commission has given us and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Administration (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: As a result of its level of compliance, Ireland has one of the lowest rates of disallowance-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes Administration (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: -----among the more senior member states. The position is that we must address and correct this situation. We must also correct the maps and recoup money which should not have been given out to farmers because the land in respect of which it was drawn down was not eligible. If we do that, we will avoid the kind of disallowances the countries to which I referred earlier have suffered....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Reopening (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: The rural environment protection scheme, REPS, 4 came into operation in Ireland in August 2007 and closed to applicants in July 2009. It was one of the measures introduced under the rural development plan 2007 to 2013. There are currently just over 29,000 participants in REPS 4 and their contracts will continue until the expiry of the five year contract period in each case. The final 851...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Reopening (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy will see those decisions in the upcoming budget. We have to make choices in terms of where we will spend money next year and we will have an opportunity to debate the agriculture budget in the coming weeks. I agree with the Deputy that a REP scheme or an AEO scheme is very important for family farm incomes, not only in the west but also throughout the country. However, the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Reopening (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy has said some farmers will find themselves out of pocket because of what is coming down the road, but some farmers will see increases in their income because of what is coming down the road. The Deputy should wait to see the full budget before passing judgment. I think there will be some positive news for farmers in the budget, as well as some frustrations, in particular for...

Other Questions: Live Exports (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: I strongly support the development and exploitation of all available markets for Irish meat and livestock exports. Along with officials in my Department, I have worked tirelessly over the last two years to ensure Irish exporters have access to as many global markets as possible. The markets outside the EU that are currently open to live cattle exports from Ireland are Egypt, Lebanon,...

Other Questions: Live Exports (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: There are opportunities across north Africa. There is demand across north Africa, particularly in Libya, and I understand there is demand in Egypt and Lebanon. The business case needs to be put together. The higher the price of beef in Ireland, the more difficult it is to put a business case for transporting animals long distances to sell them at a price that is higher than one would get in...

Other Questions: Live Exports (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: There were a lot of questions but I will try to answer them. On the Bord Bia issue, Deputy Timmins is right. We could do with many more people in that organisation. Last year we doubled the number of Bord Bia representatives in Asia to two; where there had been one person based in Shanghai there are now two. Bord Bia is very anxious to expand its presence. It does a phenomenal job given...

Other Questions: Live Exports (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: Is Deputy Collins present?

Other Questions: Live Exports (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: I thought new rules required the Deputy in question to be present.

Other Questions: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Applications (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: Payments under the 2013 disadvantaged areas scheme will begin issuing, on target, tomorrow, 25 September. While there is no regulatory date by which payments must commence, it is generally recognised - and indeed acknowledged in the farmers’ charter - that the third week in September of any given year is the earliest feasible payment date, given the volume and complexity of processing...

Other Questions: Disadvantaged Areas Scheme Applications (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: I will see what exact data I can get for the Deputy, but I have given quite a lot of detail on the number of farmers who are not eligible at the moment but who have applied. I will try to get more detail, but the Deputy will struggle to find any other country in the European Union that is paying out the percentages that we are paying to farmers this week. All of the farmers who are eligible...

Other Questions: Fishing Industry Development (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: On 17 July, I launched Bord Iascaigh Mhara’s new strategy for the seafood sector over the next five years, from 2013 to 2017. The name of BIM’s strategy document is Capturing Ireland’s Share of the Global Seafood Opportunity. This strategy highlights opportunities for growth in the seafood sector and sets out a clear path for Ireland to make the most of these...

Other Questions: Fishing Industry Development (24 Sep 2013)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy should check his accuracy. Documentation from IFI concerning this issue was not withheld. The Deputy referred to the work undertaken in respect of lice and the impact of salmon farming on wild salmon. There was an oral hearing with the Commission that involved the IFI documentation, although there were media reports to the contrary. My Department has written to the newspaper...