Results 17,861-17,880 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Other Questions: Beef Industry (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: While we must look at every opportunity to add value to our beef production, I am not convinced that targeting large-scale veal production would be the best use of our resources. Irish steer and heifer beef is recognised all over the world for its excellent quality and green credentials and we need to concentrate on leveraging this position even further and increasing the efficiency of our...

Other Questions: Beef Industry (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: In case I am being misunderstood, live cattle exports are really important and calf exports are part of that story, too. Work has been ongoing at an industry level to ensure we have the connections and the routes to markets that we need through France to access the market for calves. That work is active and will continue to be so. However, our strategic thinking as a country, where...

Other Questions: Dairy Sector (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: The preliminary output estimate for the end of the final milk quota year, based on returns to my Department by the milk purchasers and taking into account the relevant butterfat adjustment, is that Ireland will finish 4.34% over quota. This represents a superlevy bill in the region of €69 million.  While the confirmed final position will not be available until August, when all...

Other Questions: Dairy Sector (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: To be clear, many farmers have already paid the money. It has been taken out of their milk cheque. They asked for it to be taken out and have paid on a monthly basis. Some farmers, depending on the arrangement between them and the purchaser, will have to pay a lump sum, or a lump sum will have to come out of their milk cheque. Others have been calculating their liability. We all hate...

Other Questions: Dairy Sector (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: Absolutely. The arrangements between farmer and purchaser are flexible. As long as we receive the lump sum each year, we will be repaid. Let us be clear: my Department has to pay the Commission in full this year, but we are to get our money back in the next three years. Co-operatives should be talking to their members, as they are, about how best to manage cash flow so as not to cause...

Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes Payments (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: With regard to the REPS, total payments of €23.53 million have been made in 2015 to date. The vast majority relate to 2014, while payments for 2015 have not yet commenced. A total of 3,371 REPS 4 applicants have received payments this year to date in respect of their 2014 contracts, while 157 applicants have received payments in respect of their 2013 contracts. In 2014 there were...

Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes Payments (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy will see from those figures that the vast majority of cases have actually been paid and sorted out and that clarification is needed in about 5% or 6% of cases. Approximately 870 AEOS files are currently held for 2014 payment pending further processing due to a range of issues. Of those, approximately 400 have been subject to a Department review of the non-productive capital...

Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes Payments (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: I am reluctant to put details on the record when a Garda investigation is taking place. In essence, it is pretty close, I think, to what the Deputy is suggesting. I do not want to assume that anybody is guilty of anything-----

Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes Payments (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: -----until we get the results of a full investigation. Clearly, we are sufficiently concerned that we referred the file to An Garda Síochána. Unfortunately for farmers, some have probably got caught up in this unfairly but it is very difficult for me to distinguish who they are. We will shortly write to the 400 people whose payments have been held up due to this investigation and...

Other Questions: Bovine Disease Controls (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. She and I have spoken about badgers many times and I know where she is coming from. The badger removal strategy, which has been part of our TB eradication programme for some years, has been developed in response to research which has demonstrated that the eradication of the disease in cattle is not a practicable proposition until the reservoir...

Other Questions: Bovine Disease Controls (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: We will look at the report. It would be dishonest of me to say that I do not think that the badger targeted cull programme is being done in as humane a way as we can do it. If there are other suggestions as to how we can do it better, we would happily take them on board but to suggest it is not working would be wrong. This has been a hugely successful programme where we have virtually...

Other Questions: Bovine Disease Controls (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: It is not slaughter.

Other Questions: Bovine Disease Controls (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: It is also inhumane that we have to slaughter cattle because they have TB when we know that we can get the incidence of TB down. That is no more humane than the badger cull. What is humane for me is to get TB out of the herd, which is what we are trying to do, and out of the badger population too. In that way, we will not have to target cattle and badgers. We have other questions with...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ash Dieback Threat (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: To date, approximately 693 hectares of ash forestry plantations have been cleared and replanted with alternative species.  A high proportion of the areas cleared were plantations which were associated with infected imported batches but which were not necessarily infected. These associated plantations were destroyed on a precautionary basis. Out of a total of 59 findings in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Bovine Disease Controls (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: My Department is aware of moves by certain member states toward the introduction of Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) Eradication Programmes. In this regard, I have requested Teagasc to undertake an appropriate cost benefit analysis of the impact of the introduction of an IBR control/eradication programme in Ireland. This analysis will cover a number of areas, including (i) the costs...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: GLAS Administration (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: The use of ranking for selection has always been a requirement of the GLAS Scheme. The ranking system itself has not changed – it remains the case that Tier 1 receives priority over Tier 2 and Tier 2 over Tier 3.  The Terms and Conditions of the Scheme have always made specific reference to the use of selection criteria in the ranking process and the most recent communications,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fish Quotas (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: My Department has been in communication with the European Commission on this subject since September of last year. The unequivocal advice we have received from them is that a recreational fishery for bluefin tuna is not legally possible in the absence of a national bluefin tuna quota. We do not have such a quota and it is extremely unlikely that we could obtain one as it would involve...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Skills Development (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: Under the Action Plan for Jobs 2014, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs committed to undertaking an assessment of the profile and diversity of the occupations and skills requirements of enterprises in the different sectors that make up the Marine economy. Its April 2015 report – ‘A Study of the Current and Future Skills Requirements of the Marine/Maritime Economy to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horticulture Sector (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: The value of the Protected Food Crop Sector in 2014 was estimated at € 85.3 million which was a 4.1% increase on 2013. The main products involved are strawberries, lettuce and tomatoes. Crops which have lower energy and capital requirements, such as lettuce and, in particular, strawberries, continue to expand. Crops, like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, which require more...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishery Harbour Centres (14 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: Howth is one of six Fishery Harbour Centres managed and operated by my Department. Each centre is a working fishery harbour which has unique features which facilitate a broad range of other diverse activities which are important from both an economic and social perspective. This diversity is reflected in the range of properties managed by my Department in each of the Fishery Harbour Centres....