Results 16,301-16,320 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Welfare (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: I am not sure that the welfare of the horse is impacted upon by the identity of the licensing authority. On Saturday, 12 October last, an inspection was conducted by a veterinary inspector of my Department on eight horses attached to carriages close to the Guinness Storehouse at St. James' Gate. These horse-drawn carriages are part of the landscape of Dublin and they enhance the tourist...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Welfare (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: I acknowledge that there is some legal confusion as to who is responsible for licensing but I am pretty certain it is not my Department. However, I accept that we have the primary responsibility for animal welfare. As I said already, I do not think that the horses are too preoccupied about who is the licensing authority as long as any welfare issues are dealt with properly. That is the job...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Beef Industry (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: There was €2.8 billion in the Irish beef processing sector.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Beef Industry (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: As the Deputy will be aware, neither I nor my Department may legally have any role in determining a price for beef or any other commodity. He will be aware, however, that a series of formal negotiations took place between beef sector stakeholders, beginning in early August and culminating in the agreement reached on Sunday, 15 September, the text of which is available on my Department's...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Beef Industry (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: I appreciate the point made by the Deputy and acknowledge that the supply chain is complex. The task force is empowered to consider best practice, legal frameworks, etc., among other matters. The Deputy's point on ruling out ownership of certain enterprises by processors is an interesting one. Although I have not taken formal legal advice on it, I suspect it may not be legally possible to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Beef Industry (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: The interventions by the State should not be and have not been about interfering in terms of establishing a base price. Rather, they have been about supporting incomes, as has been the case under the Common Agricultural Policy for many years. These measures include the basic payment that every farmer receives as well as other supports such as the areas of natural constraint payment - 70% of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: As part of multi-annual financial framework, MFF, for the period 2021 to 2027 the European Commission has proposed a reduction of approximately 5% in the CAP budget post 2020. As this proposed reduction is unacceptable for Ireland, during discussions on the post-2020 CAP at EU Agriculture Council meetings I have taken every opportunity to call for the CAP budget to be maintained. ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: The existing CAP is going to roll over for a period of 12 months. I raised the necessary delegated acts to facilitate that with the Commission yesterday during a bilateral meeting. I hope that will happen quite shortly. We need to ensure that the systems within the Departments are prepared as quickly as possible in order that payments can continue to be made. The position of the Taoiseach...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Common Agricultural Policy Negotiations (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: I agree entirely with the Deputy's analysis. The point is well made. It is not just about supporting farmers - it is also about supporting rural communities. I think CAP has worked really well for us across Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 in terms of the supports it gives. The challenge is that not everybody shares the Deputy's view. As he knows, unanimity is required for an EU budget. We have to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fish Quotas (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: Mackerel is Ireland’s most important fishery economically and a healthy mackerel stock is essential for the Irish pelagic fleet and pelagic processing industry. The ICES catch advice for mackerel stock for 2020 was published on 1 October 2019. ICES has advised that the catches for 2020 by all parties, including those which operate outside the 2014 mackerel agreement, should not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fish Quotas (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: It would be unfortunate if the impression was to go out that ICES science is wayward or not reliable. Broadly speaking that is not the case, but there was an acceptance that it would review the methodology applied to mackerel last year. That has resulted in advice that would facilitate an increase, even if it did not issue until mid-year. I have spoken to my officials, who will be in these...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fish Quotas (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: I thank the Deputy for his support. We will keep him informed of developments as they occur in the Council.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Beef Industry (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: As part of the Irish beef sector agreement of 15 September 2019, Bord Bia committed to develop a beef market price index model based on three components - cattle price index, beef market price index, including retail and wholesale, and an offal price indicator. Work on the development of this index is under way and progress on this will be reported via the beef task force, which was set up...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Beef Industry (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: At a general level, I acknowledge the task force as an important forum in which many of these issues can be addressed. There are a number of initiatives within that task force in terms of transparency in the market that along with the agreement and work schedule set by the task force, will inform the task force's approach to a number of matters. I understand that what is set out in the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fish Quotas (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: In July 2019, Iceland communicated its decision to the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) to increase its unilateral quota for mackerel for 2019 from 107,000 to 140,000 tonnes. As a result, the share of the Icelandic unilateral quota has effectively increased to 21.5% of the overall TAC. Since 2014, they have had an average unilateral TAC of 16.5% - well in excess of the amount...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Knowledge Transfer Programme (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: The Knowledge Transfer (KT) Programme, which was funded under the Rural Development Programme(RDP) 2014 -2020, concluded in August 2019, as provided in the Rural Development Programme. Budget 2020 provides for residual payments under this programme. I am fully committed to the future of the Knowledge Transfer Programme however, and will be working in 2020, towards the development of a new...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: There have been a series of formal negotiations with beef sector stakeholders, facilitated by my Department, since early August, culminating in an agreement being reached between stakeholders on Sunday 15 September. The full text of the Agreement is available on my Department's website: The Agreement involves a number of interventions which will provide immediate benefit for beef producers,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Scheme Expenditure (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: The objective of the Beef Exceptional Aid Measure (BEAM) is to provide temporary exceptional adjustment aid to farmers in the beef sector in Ireland subject to the conditions set out in EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1132. BEAM is funded by a combination of EU aid and Exchequer support, provided in light of the difficult circumstances that Irish beef farmers have been facing...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: The Irish Government has provided significant financial support to the beef sector over the past number of years through national funding and the rural development programme. The Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) provides Irish beef farmers with up to €300 million in funding over the current Rural Development Programme (RDP) and provides a high degree of important performance...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Climate Change Policy (15 Oct 2019)

Michael Creed: The All-of Government Plan to tackle climate breakdown sets out a target to reduce emissions from 20.2mt in 2017 to less than 19mt by 2030; equating to cumulative abatement of between 16.5 and 18.5 Mt CO2eq over the period 2021 to 2030 for the agriculture, sector. In addition, the sector will also deliver an additional 26.8 Mt CO2eq cumulative abatement through better land use management such...