Results 17,941-17,960 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Herd Numbers (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: An application for a herd number from the person concerned was received on 25 March. The application is currently being processed by the Regional Veterinary Office of my Department and will be finalised as soon as possible. I should clarify that, where an applicant under the National Reserve priority categories of ‘young farmer’ and ‘new entrant’ had not been...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Herd Numbers (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: An application in respect of the person concerned was received on 4 March. The application is currently being processed by the Regional Veterinary Office of my Department and will be finalised as quickly as possible. As the Deputy is aware, there has been a considerable increase in activity in this area and, to date this year, my Department’s Regional Offices have processed over...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Data (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: In accordance with EU legislation (Regulation EU No: 1306/13) the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is obliged to ensure annual ex-post publication of all of the beneficiaries of CAP funding - both legal and non-legal persons. In accordance with the regulation the Department must, by the 31 May 2015, publish: The name of the beneficiary (unless the amount of payment under CAP...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Aquaculture Data (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: At present there are 625 aquaculture licence applications awaiting determination, of which 530 have been waiting for a period of over 12 months. The number of licences issued in each of the past four years is as follows: Year No. 2011 6 2012 16 2013 108 2014 94 The majority of areas in which aquaculture licence determinations are pending are designated as Special Areas of Conservation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Direct Payment Scheme Applications (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: I have arranged for my Department to carry out a field verification check on the land in question to establish its eligibility for payment under the Direct Payment Schemes. The person named will be informed of the findings of the verification check immediately following the completion of the visit.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Applications (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: The above named herdowner was issued with a guide to the number and value of entitlements he may be allocated under the Basic Payment Scheme 2015 to 2019. The number of entitlements is based on the number of hectares declared by him in 2013 but if he declares less land in 2015, the lesser number will apply. As he did not own any Single Payment Scheme entitlements in 2014, he has no...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regional Veterinary Laboratories (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: My Department is currently undertaking a Strategic Review of its Laboratories as part of an Integrated Reform Delivery Plan agreed with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to consider the best means of delivering laboratory services to customers. This review is considering all of the Department’s laboratories, including the central laboratory complex at Backweston and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regional Veterinary Laboratories (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: There are no plans to close any of my Department’s Regional Veterinary Laboratories. A working group has been established to review the best way to provide laboratory diagnostic services to farmers and this continues to be our priority. As would be expected they are looking at a range of options on how best to do this and will make their recommendations in due course. However, as I...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regional Veterinary Laboratories (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: A working group was established in January 2015 to undertake a Strategic review of my Department’s Laboratories and to report back to me with a series of recommendations. A report from the working group is expected in due course when my senior officials and I will give it appropriate consideration. However, as I have publicly stated previously, I do not intend to close any regional...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regional Veterinary Laboratories (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: A working group was established in January 2015 to undertake a Strategic review of my Department’s Laboratories and to report back to me with a series of recommendations. A report from the working group will be finalised in due course when my senior officials and I will give it due consideration. However, as I have publicly stated previously, I do not intend to close any regional...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regional Veterinary Laboratories (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: My Department has no plans to change the current form of any of its Regional Veterinary Laboratories. All of these Regional Veterinary Laboratories will continue to operate as heretofore, providing a range of laboratory diagnostic support services to the farming community through private veterinary practitioners.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Regional Veterinary Laboratories (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: The status of employment of the workers employed in my Department’s Regional Veterinary Laboratories in counties Sligo, Limerick, Cork and Kilkenny, remains unchanged. All of these workers are Civil Servants serving in various different roles.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Slaughtering Standards (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: Under EU law, primary responsibility for compliance with food safety and species segregation requirements rests in the first instance with food business operators. Slaughter plants producing meat for human consumption must meet the requirements set out in detailed EU regulations generally referred to as the ‘Hygiene Package’. These regulations are implemented in Ireland under...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Slaughtering Standards (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: An application from the company concerned for approval to operate an equine slaughter plant is under active consideration by my Department. All slaughter plants producing meat for human consumption must meet the requirements set out in detailed EU food safety regulations, generally referred to as the ‘Hygiene Package’. These regulations are implemented in Ireland under the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Derogation Payments (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: The provision known as the Scottish Derogation makes available entitlements to those persons who never held entitlements under the Single Payment Scheme and who actively produced an agricultural product in the beef, dairying, sheep or arable sectors. Such production must have been in place on the 15 May 2013. I can confirm that the person named never held entitlements under the Single...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Grassland Sheep Scheme Applications (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: An application under the 2014 Grassland Sheep Scheme was received from the person named on 15 May 2014. Payment has not issued to the person named as the holding concerned has not satisfied the Scheme minimum eligibility requirements namely, the submission of the annual sheep census form prior to the extended closing date of 14 February 2014. The person named unsuccessfully applied for the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Agencies Staff Recruitment (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: On 12 March 2015, I received a request from Bord Iascaigh Mhara for sanction to recruit 21 additional staff, including 3 positions with the National Fisheries College, of which 2 relate to Greencastle. This request by BIM for a very significant increase in staff resources must be considered by my Department in the context of the ongoing constrained budgetary situation and the staff resource...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes Eligibility (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: Officials from my Department met with representatives of the Forgotten Farmers Group on 1 April 2015. This group represents farmers under the age of 40, who established their holdings prior to 2008 and who hold low value entitlements. At this meeting the main request of the group was to increase the value of entitlements for farmers who are under 40 years to the National Average value of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Labelling (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: I have been a strong proponent of origin labelling as a means of providing consumers with clear and transparent information about the food they consume, including as regards the origin of that food. The rules on origin labelling are determined at EU level and I recently signed into law an SI to give effect to the new European Regulations for country of origin labelling of meat from sheep,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Herd Numbers (19 May 2015)

Simon Coveney: An application for a herdnumber from the person concerned is currently being processed by the Regional Veterinary Office of my Department. The case is at an advanced stage and it is anticipated that a herd number will issue at an early date. I should clarify that, where an applicant under the National Reserve priority categories of ‘young farmer’ and ‘new...