Results 1,701-1,720 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (11 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person named was originally notified that the circumstances outlined by him did not satisfy the criteria for force majeure— exceptional circumstances under Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1782/2003. The person named then submitted an application for consideration in respect of the inheritance measure of the single payment scheme. Following processing of this application he was...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (11 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person named has been notified that the circumstances outlined by him did not satisfy the criteria for force majeure— exceptional circumstances under Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1782/2003. Following this decision the person named submitted an appeal to the independent single payment appeals committee. A full review of the circumstances of the case will be carried out by...

Written Answers — Commercial Horticulture: Commercial Horticulture (11 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My Department operates the scheme of investment aid for the development of the commercial horticulture sector funded under the National Development Plan 2000-2006. The scheme is intended to assist in the development of the horticulture sector by grant aiding capital investments in specialised plant and equipment in commercial horticulture. Applicants must demonstrate that they have the...

Written Answers — Rural Development: Rural Development (11 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The issues raised by the Deputy relate to the forestry elements contained in the draft Rural Development Regulation 2007-2013, 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, has been...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (11 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The Deputy will be aware that I decided to estimate the quota overshoot reduction in order that balancing payments could be made under all of the bovine premia schemes to farmers who had applied for special beef premium in respect of more than 25 animals. The calculations involved in the interim balancing payments under the 2004 special beef premium scheme involved reducing the rate of aid...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (11 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: An application for consideration under the force majeure-exceptional circumstances measure of the single payment regulations was submitted by the person named in early February 2004. The person named has been notified that the circumstances outlined by her do not satisfy the criteria for force majeure-exceptional circumstances under Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1782/2003. The...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (11 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person named has received his full entitlement under the 2004 area based compensatory allowance scheme. The person named lodged three applications under the 2004 special beef premium scheme, in respect of a total of 28 animals. The first application, in respect of 23 animals, was lodged on 28 May 2004, the second application, in respect of four animals, was lodged on 6 December 2004 and...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (11 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: This appeal was received in the agriculture appeals office on 27 May 2004 and the appeals officer issued a decision on 13 August 2004 to disallow the appeal. The decision of the appeals officer is final and conclusive, except in the following circumstances: an appeals officer may change a decision where there is new evidence, new facts or a relevant change in circumstances but the appeals...

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (11 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has been aware, from an early stage in the negotiations leading to the introduction of the single payment scheme, of the possible implications for retired farmers who had leased their holdings during the reference years 2000 to 2002. In so far as it has proved possible in the context of the EU regulations governing the single payment scheme, and following lengthy discussions...

Written Answers — Poultry Industry: Poultry Industry (12 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The Central Statistics Office is responsible for the collection of statistics in relation to imports of meat and meat products. The following tables, which were compiled from data supplied by that office, set out the details requested by the Deputy. In relation to the tables the following should be noted: in certain cases the record of import may include the re-import of Irish products that...

Written Answers — Mushroom Industry: Mushroom Industry (12 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The numbers of mushroom growers in the past three years were: 2002, 365 growers; 2003, 289 growers; and 2004, 228 growers. There is no registration requirement for mushroom growers. A Teagasc survey carried out in February indicated that there were 201 active growers in the country. The fall in grower numbers indicates that the mushroom industry continues to consolidate around operations with...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person named, having been notified that the circumstances outlined by her did not satisfy the criteria for force majeure-exceptional circumstances under Article 40 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1782/2003, submitted an appeal to the independent single payment appeals committee. Following a full examination of the circumstances outlined in the appeal, the independent single payment appeals...

Written Answers — Animal Welfare: Animal Welfare (12 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Under the European Communities (Protection of Animals at Time of Slaughter) Regulations 1995, animals must be restrained in an appropriate manner in such a way as to spare them any avoidable pain, suffering, agitation, injury or contusions. In the case of ritual slaughter, restraint of bovine animals before slaughter using a mechanical method intended to avoid any pain, suffering or agitation...

Written Answers — Live Exports: Live Exports (12 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has a comprehensive legislative framework in place to safeguard the welfare of animals during transport. For export refund purposes, under EU legislation cattle are subject to a veterinary inspection on arrival at third country destinations. On a number of occasions my Department has sent Department veterinary inspectors to the Lebanon to witness the unloading of Irish cattle...

Written Answers — Live Exports: Live Exports (12 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Less than 8% of all Irish beef exports in 2004 were in the form of live cattle. Exports to the Lebanon that year constituted less than 10% of all live exports and the Lebanese trade was only 20% of what it was five years ago. Live exports, while small in volume terms, are a vital component of Ireland's livestock industry, and are essential for price competition and maintaining farm incomes....

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The person involved submitted an application for consideration in respect of the new entrant measure of the single payment scheme. Following an examination of the papers submitted, he was notified that his application was successful and that the years 2000 and 2001 would be excluded from his single payment calculation. A statement of provisional entitlements outlining the amended position...

Written Answers — Fairtrade Products: Fairtrade Products (12 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The decision to use any Fairtrade product by my Department would of course be subject to compliance with public procurement rules and it is a matter for the enterprises supplying services to the Department to make their own commercial decisions in sourcing their supplies. I am pleased that the restaurant in Agriculture House, which is a private concern, took a decision some two years ago to...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (12 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: There are at present no vacancies on boards of statutory agencies which come under the remit of my Department.

Written Answers — Agricultural Sector: Agricultural Sector (17 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The Central Statistics Office publishes data on the number of persons in farming, it does not collect data on entrants to or exits from farming. Data is only available in respect of the period 2000 and 2003. According to the 2000 census of agriculture there were 32,800 farmers in the western region, Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, and in the 2003 farm structures survey there were 32,000 farmers,...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (17 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The herd number quoted, which has been dormant since 1995, was previously registered in the name of the spouse of the person named. As the spouse of the person named was not farming during the reference period, 2000 to 2002, having availed of the early retirement scheme in 1995, he did not establish any entitlements under the single payment scheme. Under the provisions of the single payment...