Results 14,201-14,220 of 28,255 for speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dairy Sector (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: 1. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to protect the incomes of dairy farmers in view of the sudden drop in the price of milk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48485/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dairy Sector (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: As the Minister is aware, Teagasc is forecasting a drop of 50% in profits in the dairy sector next year. It also forecasts that the price of milk will fall to 27 cent a litre. This is particularly challenging for farmers with high borrowings. We need to know what the Minister is doing about this at national and European level.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dairy Sector (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Absolutely agreed. We must recognise that this it is a world issue and the Minister need not spell this out. The one certainty in life at present is that there is total uncertainty. We knew from the very beginning that price volatility would always be a big issue. The Minister mentioned the ban imposed by Russia. That is the type of issue which happens out of the blue and cannot be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dairy Sector (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The Minister can sing it. There is another issue at European level. Now that the Minister has a good friend there - the Commissioner - perhaps he might take up this issue with him to get him to resolve it. The Minister knows that many farmers have a huge Damocles sword hanging over their heads in the form of the superlevy. This is an issue the European Union could tackle immediately. As a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Dairy Sector (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It is time for the Minister to get this issue sorted out in the European Union in which there is a new Commissioner, but the Minister might not have heard of him. He is a guy called Monsieur Hogan. He used to be Mr. Hogan or Minister Hogan when he was here. Perhaps the Minister might go and tell him to sort out the superlevy issue.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: 4. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the rural development plan for Ireland will be approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48486/14]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: This relates to when the rural development plan for Ireland will be approved by the European Union. We debated this the last day the Minister took questions and he promised to come before the agriculture committee to outline the concerns of the European Union. Unfortunately, this has not happened. Will the Minister outline his best guess of when the rural development plan will be agreed?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I thank the Minister for his reply. Given the inevitable delays that will arise, even allowing for this shimmy - it is a welcome shimmy, if it comes out - we are still looking at February before GLAS will be announced. If we take into account all of the complexities involved in requiring 30,000 farmers to draw up plans, does the Minister accept it is very unlikely that GLAS money will be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Rural Development Programme Funding (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: One of the unforeseen delays in getting GLAS off the ground could be that farmers will look for a little extra time to get their plans in. The Minister needs to get 30,000 applications; 25,000 or 20,000 will not be good enough. There could be several unforeseen delays. Are we still in the situation the Minister outlined previously such that he cannot allow GLAS to start until this entire...

Other Questions: Farm Household Incomes (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: 8. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he is taking to mitigate the projected drop in farm incomes in 2015 of 25% forecast by Teagasc; the amount of funding projected to be paid to farmers through his Department in direct payments next year through all schemes, including schemes under the RDP, rural development programme, compared to 2011 and 2014; and if he...

Other Questions: Farm Household Incomes (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Teagasc has forecast a drop of 25% in farm incomes next year. As well as facing challenges with prices, farmers face the other challenge that the amounts paid in direct payments are consistently falling. Will the Minister outline the scale of the fall next year compared to 2011?

Other Questions: Commonage Framework Plans (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: 10. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has examined the proposed implementation strategy for commonages here, presented to him recently by the representatives of commonage farmers; if he accepts this strategy as the only practical way forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48278/14]

Other Questions: Commonage Framework Plans (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: There is significant concern among farmers in hill areas which include a large amount of commonage about the proposals for GLAS, the green, low-carbon, agri-environment scheme, mainly centred on the collective agreement aspect of the scheme. Allegations were also made by the Department that undergrazing was a major problem caused by farmers. When I sought the maps and details of the places...

Other Questions: Commonage Framework Plans (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The hill committee whose members met the Minister in Dublin a few weeks ago raised 12 points, and I am pleased to see that he is moving in the right direction. Will the Minister continue to discuss the details of the progress he is making with the hill committee, which consists of experts in the field? If the Minister informed Brussels that he had to put together these proposals on foot of...

Other Questions: Commonage Framework Plans (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: They were not factually based.

Other Questions: Commonage Framework Plans (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Where are those areas?

Other Questions: Commonage Framework Plans (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Under-grazing is a problem that has been caused by destocking.

Other Questions: Commonage Framework Plans (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: The answer is to change the approach to destocking. This problem has not arisen because of an unwillingness on the part of farmers to farm the land, but that was the premise of the Minister's proposal. I sought details on the areas the Minister has identified as under-grazed, because if they are the same areas as those that have been destocked, it is clear the problem has been caused by the...

Opposing Domestic Violence: Statements (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: It was very inappropriate to stick 60 minutes of this debate in at 6.30 p.m. on the last sitting day of the Dáil session. When we speak here we hope by getting the word out through the media and so on that we can highlight issues of importance in society. This deserved a lot more than an hour’s initial debate with the Minister’s speech, which was very interesting, thrown...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (18 Dec 2014)

Éamon Ó Cuív: 12. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress made to date to resolve the beef crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48280/14]