Results 16,061-16,080 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

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

Simon Coveney: The industry wide strategy for developing the sheep industry in Ireland was set out in the Food Harvest 2020 document which envisages a 20% increase in value terms of the sector by 2020. My approach to building on the significant achievements of the strategy up until now is to drive the development of the industry at home and increase Ireland`s market share of the world market. This will...

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

Simon Coveney: The Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) is proposed as an EU co-funded scheme which forms part of Ireland's draft Rural Development Programme and will involve a budget of some €300m over a 6-year period. As announced as part of Budget 2015, I have proposed to increase the amount of money available to all farmers within the scheme to €100 a head on the first ten...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Bord na gCon Remit (18 Dec 2014)

Simon Coveney: Bord na gCon has statutory responsibility under the Greyhound Industry Acts 1958 &1993 for the control, development and improvement of the greyhound racing industry. Bord na gCon refers positive tests for prohibited substances to the independent Control Committee for adjudication. The findings of the Control Committee can be appealed to the Control Appeals Committee. These are...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Bord na gCon Administration (18 Dec 2014)

Simon Coveney: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that Bord na gCon submitted their response to the Indecon report on 10 October 2014. That response included a programme of action and a timeline for implementation of the recommendations in the report. The action plan is published in the "news" section on the Bord na gCon website. Bord na gCon has indicated to my Department that it is on track to meet the...

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

Simon Coveney: The Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) and GLAS are both part of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is currently awaiting approval from the European Commission. A registered organic operator may join both the OFS and GLAS, and receive payment under both schemes. In fact, registered organic farmers are guaranteed priority access to GLAS and may select from a range of options to draw...

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

Simon Coveney: The re-introduction of a Land Commission would not be appropriate or practicable in modern Ireland. My Department, State Agencies, industry and the farming organisations are working together to implement the Food Harvest strategy for the development of the agri-food sector to 2020. Progress to date has been very positive, as shown in the Milestones 2014report published in September. I...

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

Simon Coveney: EU Regulations governing the National Reserve measure of the Basic Payment Scheme provide that the categories of ‘young farmer’ and ‘new entrant’ are dealt with as priority categories. A ‘young farmer’ is defined as follows for the purposes of the National Reserve/Young Farmers Scheme: - S/he is aged no more than 40 years of age in the year when...

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

Simon Coveney: My Department has published its annual report and it is available on the Departments’ website.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Harbours and Piers Development (18 Dec 2014)

Simon Coveney: The Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Capital Development Programme, which my Department administers on an annual basis, provides funding for capital works at the six Fishery Harbour Centres including Howth.A total of €1.18 million was approved for works at Howth Fishery Harbour Centre under the 2014 Fishery Harbour and Coastal Infrastructure Development Programme. The...

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

Simon Coveney: An application under the 2014 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Area Scheme was received in my Department from the person named on 14 May 2014. He declared a number of commonage parcels on this application one of which, Parcel G 11306037 was declared for the first time in 2014. Following examination of the commonage evidence submitted for this parcel, it was rejected from his application on the...

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

Simon Coveney: An application under the 201 3 Single Payment/Disadvantaged Area Scheme was received in my Department from the person named on 14 May 2013 . He had established 9.84 Transferred Standard entitlements at a unit value of € 206.46. Full payment has issued in respect of these entitlements to the nominated bank account of the person named. The first instalment issued on 16 October 201 3 and...

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

Simon Coveney: Only valid applications under the Single Payment Scheme that fully comply with the requirements of the EU Legislation are paid. Consequently all applications under the Scheme are subject to administrative checks. Over 98% of applicants have passed these checks and have been paid under the Single Payment Scheme.The remaining applications did not pass the validation process, went into error and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Applications (18 Dec 2014)

Simon Coveney: The persons named submitted a 2013 Single Payment Scheme application on 10 May 2013. On completion of processing, full payment issued without penalty in two instalments on 16 October 2013 and 2 December 2013 directly to the nominated bank account of the persons named.The persons named submitted a 2014 Single Payment Scheme application on 17 April 2014. On completion of processing, full...

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

Simon Coveney: An application under the 2014 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme was received from the person named on 14 May 2014, processing of which is recently complete. Payment under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme is due to issue directly to the nominated bank account of the person named shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Felling Licences Applications (18 Dec 2014)

Simon Coveney: As I stated in my response to Parliamentary Question No.399 on 4 November 2014,felling licences were not granted by my Department to theNational Roads Authority(NRA)for tree felling along the N7 in Counties Laois and Kildare. Under the Roads Act, 1993 (as amended by the Roads Act, 2007) the NRA is not obliged to obtain a felling licence under the Forestry Act, 1946, where it is responsible...

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

Simon Coveney: The persons named do not hold Single Payment Scheme entitlements. Farmers who were not eligible to receive a direct payment in 2013 under the Single Payment Scheme, the Grassland Sheep Scheme, the Burren Farming for Conservation Scheme or the Beef Data Programme do not hold an automatic allocation right to receive entitlements under the Basic Payment Scheme in 2015. The “Scottish...

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

Simon Coveney: Exports of all Irish offal into Russia have been suspended following an audit inspection by officials from the Russian Federation in May of this year. This also resulted in the suspension of exports of other prime beef cuts from a number of meat plants supplying to Russia at that time. In late June, the Russian Federation also introduced an EU-wide ban on beef trimmings due to alleged...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Rural Environment Protection Scheme Payments (18 Dec 2014)

Simon Coveney: The following payments have been made under AEOS in 2014 to date: AEOS1 €22,415,243; AEOS2 €16,898,783; AEOS3 €12,244,897. Further payments in excess of €9 million are expected to be made before year end. In excess of €116 million has been paid in REPS to date with a further minimum of €6.5 million expected to be paid before the end of the year.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Rural Development Plan (18 Dec 2014)

Simon Coveney: The overall objectives of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020 are to enhance the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, achieve a more sustainable management of natural resources and ensure a more balanced development of rural areas. Ireland’s draft RDP was submitted to the EU Commission on 3 July 2014, a number of weeks in advance of the regulatory deadline. The...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Milk Quota Cessation (18 Dec 2014)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy is aware, the related issues of milk quota abolition, the “soft landing” and the butterfat coefficient correction have been the subject of much discussion at EU level over the recent past. Milk quotas will be abolished from the end of March 2015 and I have been very active in seeking to secure further measures to ensure a soft landing for milk producers in the...