Results 1,581-1,600 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I received the report of the Oireachtas joint committee formally on 7 April. I have asked my officials to consider the recommendations in the report, having due regard to the terms and conditions both of the early retirement scheme itself and of the European Commission regulations under which both the current and previous schemes were introduced.

Written Answers — Organic Farming: Organic Farming (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has already provided incentives to encourage organic farming which are substantial in proportion to the size of the sector. Through the rural environment protection scheme, almost €4 million was paid directly to organic farmers in 2004. Since REPS began in 1994, it has delivered some €31 million to the sector. Under the current scheme, an organic farmer with 55 hectares is...

Written Answers — Special Beef Premium: Special Beef Premium (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I made arrangements last month to expedite balancing payments to farmers affected by the special beef premium quota excess based on an estimated overshoot reduction. Over the past two weeks, some €80 million has been paid to special beef, suckler cow and slaughter premium applicants with the vast bulk of this going to farmers with more than 25 special beef premium animals. I have also...

Written Answers — World Trade Negotiations: World Trade Negotiations (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I discussed the WTO agriculture negotiations and Irish concerns in relation thereto at a bilateral meeting with the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development on 20 December 2004. The Council of Agriculture Ministers, which reviews the situation on a regular basis, discussed the developments in the negotiations at its meetings on 14 March and 26 April 2005, both of which I attended.

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has received approximately 20,100 applications for REPS 3 of which just under 18,500 have already been processed, approved and paid. There are currently more than 45,100 farmers in REPS as a whole. Participation levels will very soon surpass the record reached at the end of 1999. The level of interest in REPS 3 is very encouraging and, with farmers considering their options...

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: In 2004, 126 cases of BSE were confirmed compared with 182 in 2003 and 333 in 2002. There have been 25 cases to date in 2005 which represents a decrease of 57% on the number of cases discovered in the same period in 2004, 59. The majority of these cases were in animals born prior to the introduction here of the additional controls in 1996 and 1997. The shift in age profile in BSE cases as...

Written Answers — Rural Environment Protection Scheme: Rural Environment Protection Scheme (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The designation of land under the EU birds and habitats directives is a function of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The question of compensation for farmers in the Shannon Callows area is a matter, in the first instance, for that Department, and I understand that discussions on the matter with the farming bodies have been going on for some time and are not...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Under the Government's decentralisation programme my Department's Dublin headquarters will be transferred to Portlaoise, my Department's laboratories in Cork and Limerick will move to Macroom and my Department's local offices in Cork city and Mallow will move to Fermoy. Last November, the decentralisation implementation group published its report to the Minister for Finance identifying the...

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Both Ministers of State at my Department have met groups set up to advance the interests of retired farmers. Officials of my Department have also had meetings with them on several occasions. The group referred to had an opportunity to present its case to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food and the committee has recently produced its report. My officials are examining the...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The 2004 enterprise strategy group report to the Tánaiste entitled, Ahead of the Curve, focused on marketing as one of two development axes for Irish industry, the other being technology. Promotion and marketing is becoming ever more critical as the Irish agri-food sector enters a period of great change with future production decisions becoming more market led and influenced by decoupling...

Written Answers — Forestry Sector: Forestry Sector (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The review and appraisal of Ireland's forestry development strategy undertaken by Peter Bacon and Associates supports a planting target of 20,000 hectares per annum, as set out in the programme for Government. The report also comments that a lesser planting target could be a viable basis for support, providing the planting is undertaken in a manner that maximises the non-timber benefits. The...

Written Answers — Food Banks: Food Banks (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Food banks are charitable organisations outside the ambit of central government and accordingly my Department has no role in their operation. In accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No. 3149/932 on the supply of food from intervention stocks for the benefit of the most deprived persons in the Community, my Department has in the past made intervention stocks available to charitable...

Written Answers — Forestry Sector: Forestry Sector (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The issue raised by the Deputy relates to one of the proposals for forestry contained in the draft rural development regulation 2007-13, first published by the European Commission in July 2004 and which is the subject of ongoing negotiations in the Council of Ministers. From the outset, the Irish position on the draft regulation in general, including the specific aspects related to forestry...

Written Answers — Depopulation Programme: Depopulation Programme (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: It is estimated that there are in excess of 450,000 cattle in the national herd which were born before 1996. It is difficult to put an accurate value on such animals since their value to farmers is measured in terms of the calves and milk produced on an annual basis rather than by reference to what they would command at the market or in the factory. However, based on recent values of BSE...

Written Answers — Avian Influenza: Avian Influenza (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Avian influenza is a serious, highly contagious viral disease of poultry which can also spread to other animals and occasionally to humans. EU legislation to control avian influenza is laid down in Directive 92/40/EEC. In brief, this directive requires that all suspected cases of avian influenza must be investigated and appropriate measures taken in case of confirmation of highly pathogenic...

Written Answers — Genetically Modified Organisms: Genetically Modified Organisms (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: EU legislation, jointly adopted by the European Parliament and the Council, on the cultivation of GM crops specifically prohibits the unilateral declaration of a GM free country. There are, however, methods available to restrict the growing of GM crops within regions of a country. These include the concept of voluntarily developed GM free regions — a concept being explored by a number of...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The introduction of the single payment scheme will lead to significant staff savings in my Department due to the rationalisation of a number of the farm income support schemes. While the final net impact cannot be stated exactly at this stage, I expect staff savings of 400 by January 2006. The transition is being actively managed within the Department to ensure an orderly redeployment of the...

Written Answers — Teagasc Service Development: Teagasc Service Development (4 May 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 agrifood 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 — Carlow Sugar Plant: Carlow Sugar Plant (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My approval has not been sought to the sale of any property following the recent closure by Greencore of the Irish Sugar plant at Carlow and I am not aware of the company's intentions in that regard. As Minister, I hold a special share in Greencore plc. That share has the same monetary value as any other share in the company but special conditions are attached which prevent the company from...

Written Answers — Single Payment Scheme: Single Payment Scheme (4 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: European Council Regulation 1782/2003 governing the single payment scheme provides that each member state must set up a national reserve using between 1% and 3% of every individual farmers entitlements. A single payment advisory group comprising representatives from the farming organisations, Teagasc and officials from my Department was set up to advise on the national reserve. A 3%...