Results 1,481-1,500 of 2,179 for speaker:Paul Daly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I welcome our guests and apologise at the outset - there were three votes in the Seanad so I missed a large part of the contributions. If I mention anything that has already been dealt with, please do not hesitate to let me know. I can go back on the transcript and look at the previous answers. I heard the debate on labour, which was on my list. Following from what the witness said about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: To follow on from Deputy Mythen's point about Keelings’ power or heat generation, has it ever considered anaerobic digestion? There has been a lot of discussion of the circular economy and within the larger horticultural and agricultural sector, the byproduct is a good nutrient. If you were taking slurry from a dairy farmer, that would be a win-win situation for everybody. Has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I mentioned the following in the previous session and it may well have been covered before my return. It relates to contracts with the big retailers and outlets. Keelings is probably big enough to be able to kick the table on its side when it is doing a deal, but for smaller suppliers - this may even affect Keelings - we hear a lot of stories of big retailers driving prices downwards. This...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: That is the point I am making about the below-cost or loss-leader selling. It gives the consumer a misleading image and they do not realise it is a loss-leader. They think a carrot can be produced and put on the shelf for 29 cent a pound or whatever.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I welcome the representatives from Macra na Feirme. I put on record at the outset that I refute the allegations that the agricultural budget was cut in yesterday's budget. While the Vote figure might be less than it was in previous years, previous years included BAR and Ukrainian aid funding which were one-off costs but the actual overall agricultural budget has increased. As the young...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: While I have a few minutes left, a question I asked the other groups earlier was about the relationship, from their perspective as producers, with the larger retail outlets and their thing of using vegetables in particular as a lost leader to get people in. It was mentioned about being able to walk into a supermarket the week before Christmas and buy carrots for a ridiculous 20 cent per...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (11 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: Does the retailer, morally, have a role in that? Using the comparison Dr. Snell made, the image they put in young people’s heads is that a bar of chocolate is worth a euro but carrots are only worth 20 cent.

Seanad: Final Report of the Independent Scoping Exercise into the Circumstances Surrounding the Death of Mr. Shane O'Farrell: Statements (17 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I welcome the Minister and I also welcome and acknowledge the O’Farrell family. I compliment Senator Doherty for organising to have the O’Farrell family in for the briefing in the audiovisual room last week. While I am very familiar with this case, I was struck hearing it all again and being taken through all the instances and pitfalls that were evident before the final...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I was not expecting to get in so soon. I thank the witnesses for their presence this evening. I have read the comprehensive opening statement. On the future of the sector, how does Mr. McCormack see the planned 30% expansion in production happening? From what direction will it come? Will it be the likes of Mr. McCormack's business, which is already established? Should it be aimed at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: Those issues aside, are the markets there? From where will the markets come? If the markets are there, how are they being filled at the moment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: Would the retailers drop their foreign suppliers-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: -----if Irish suppliers were available?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I know the markets are there. As 100 farmers are not feeding 5 million people, there is bound to be a market there. I asked the question because I was in conversation recently with a man who used to grow pumpkins for the Hallowe’en market. He got out because he could not compete with the produce coming in from Holland. Even though the market was there, he could not compete with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: The submission referred to the growing medium issue and how the changes in respect of peat are affecting the sector. I ask Mr. McCormack to comment on gene editing going forward. I am not asking about genetically modified organisms, GMOs but, rather, CRISPR gene editing, which would be a big help in eliminating pesticides and herbicides. Has the IFA gone down that route or done research on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I also asked about the growing medium and the peat situation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: Has that bird flown? Is there no way these sub-sectors can be included if a case could be made at this stage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: When we are bringing in the plants that have been developed in Europe, we are bringing them into a different climate and environment. As a research institute, is Teagasc doing any work on the Irish-specific climate and soil types and the different issues or problems plants have in Ireland that they might not have in continental Europe?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Challenges Facing the Fruit and Vegetable Industry: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I welcome the witnesses from the Department and Teagasc and thank them for the submissions. I have a couple of questions specifically for the individual groups and then I would welcome comments from all. First, I have a question for the Department. While the recent announcement of the horticulture support scheme is to be welcomed, I would like to know why the white mushroom production...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Agriculture Industry (24 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. My Commencement matter also relates to flooding. The exact wording is to ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage that some immediate provisional arrangements be made to allow farmers whose slurry storage facilities were flooded during Storm Babet to empty their tanks without fear of prosecution or penalty, considering the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Agriculture Industry (24 Oct 2023)

Paul Daly: I thank the Minister of State for his response. There was common sense in his answer, which is unusual at times in these Houses. It is important that common sense prevails. As I said earlier, the farmers who are asking the question are doing so because they are cognisant of their roles and duties to the environment and water. They are compliant farmers. The Minister of State mentioned...