Results 1,841-1,860 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The report of the national task force on obesity directs two specific recommendations to my Department. These are: the Department of Agriculture and Food should review policies in partnership with other Government Departments to promote access to healthy food — such policies should encompass positive discrimination in the provision of grants and funding to local industry in favour of...

Written Answers — Alternative Energy Projects: Alternative Energy Projects (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 91 together. Promotion and development of renewable energy in Ireland are matters in the first instance for the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. My Department is represented on the bioenergy strategy group established by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural resources to consider policy options and support...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The level of funding available to each member state under the single payment scheme has already been agreed under European Council Regulation 1782/2003. The amount available to Ireland in 2005, including the dairy premium, is €1.260 billion and this will increase to €1.322 billion as and from 2006 onwards. The envelope of money granted to each member state under the EU regulations...

Written Answers — Farm Household Incomes: Farm Household Incomes (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: As part of the agri-vision 2015 committee's report, an analysis of current and future farm viability levels was undertaken by FAPRI-Ireland. It defined viability using two criteria — where a farm has the capacity to remunerate family labour at the average agricultural wage and the capacity to provide an additional 5% return on non-land assets. Using these criteria, 28% of the 136,000 farms...

Written Answers — Horticulture Sector: Horticulture Sector (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: There are 18 potato inspectors and four district superintendents — supervisors — involved in potato certification activities, including the carrying out of checks to ensure that only certified seed or home certified basic seed has been planted.

Written Answers — Veterinary Medicines: Veterinary Medicines (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 86 and 98 together. My Department is currently engaged in drafting legislation to transpose EU Directive 2004/28, which is the new framework legislation governing the veterinary medicines regime across Europe. The deadline for transposition is 30 October 2005. The EU legislation includes a general provision that all veterinary medicines for food producing...

Written Answers — Horse Breeding: Horse Breeding (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I am aware that the Irish draught is an endangered breed of horse. My Department, in the context of co-ordinating and promoting the conservation and utilisation of genetic resources for food and agriculture, has funded four projects on the Irish Draught horse in recent years. In 2000, the department of animal science in UCD was funded to carry out a project, entitled The characterisation of...

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: In 2004, 126 cases of BSE were confirmed compared with 182 in 2003 and 333 in 2002. There have been 27 cases to date in 2005, which represents a decrease of 57% on the number of cases, 63, discovered in the same period in 2004. The vast majority of these cases were in animals born prior to the introduction here of the additional controls in 1996 and 1997. The age profile of BSE cases as well...

Written Answers — Animal Diseases: Animal Diseases (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: A group under the chairmanship of Dr. Crosby carried out a technical examination of costs arising following restocking with a particular category of sheep in the case of flockowners where the depopulations occurred during the initial scrapie depopulation regime. In total, some 100 flocks were depopulated under this phase and restocking was not permitted for a period of two years. Flockowners...

Written Answers — World Trade Negotiations: World Trade Negotiations (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Following intensive negotiations, agreement was reached in Geneva in August 2004 on a framework setting out the general outline and content of the new World Trade Organisation, WTO, agreement. The detailed implementation of this framework is the subject of ongoing negotiation at technical and political level, with the aim of concluding at the WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong in...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: By the deadline for the receipt of single payment application forms on 16 May my Department estimates that applicants under this scheme had submitted some 142,000 applications. I initiated a major publicity campaign at national and local level to make farmers aware of the deadline for the receipt of applications. In addition, to facilitate farmers in the completion and submission of their...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The issues here 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. Throughout the negotiations so far, the Irish position on the draft regulation in general, including on the specific aspects related to forestry, has...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The Food Agency Co-operation Council was established in 2000 under the aegis of my Department to promote the fullest practical co-operation between the State agencies involved in the food industry, in the interests of the optimum development of the industry. The council has an independent chairman, Mr. Padraic White. The inaugural meeting of the council took place in March 2000 and it has met...

Written Answers — Farm Retirement Scheme: Farm Retirement Scheme (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I received the report of the Oireachtas joint committee formally on 7 April. I have asked my officials to consider the recommendations contained in the report, having due regard to the terms and conditions both of the early retirement scheme and of the European Commission regulations under which both the current and previous schemes were introduced.

Written Answers — Plant Protection Products: Plant Protection Products (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The Deputy will be aware that it is an offence, punishable at the discretion of the courts by imprisonment for a term of six months, or a fine not exceeding €3,000 or both, to import, place on the market or use a plant protection product that has not been registered. The regulatory system is designed to ensure a high level of protection for man, animals and the environment. Products...

Written Answers — Food Industry: Food Industry (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: As I stated in my recent reply of 4 May, Bord Bia has undertaken an independent strategic review of its future direction and I anticipate that a report will be submitted to me shortly. Bord Bia is widely acknowledged as an effective market development and promotion agency for the Irish food industry. It is close to the market as initiatives such as Marketplace Ireland 2004 demonstrate. I...

Written Answers — Farming Population: Farming Population (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: The most recent figures available from the CSO show that there were 77,900 full-time farmers — as defined by the CSO — in 2003, a drop of 20,400 since 1997. Over the same period the number of part-time farmers increased by 7,900 to 57,200. The agri vision 2015 committee indicated in its report that the trend to part-time farming — using a somewhat different definition than the CSO —...

Written Answers — Milk Prices: Milk Prices (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I have made the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development fully aware of the impact that changes in market management supports and export refunds play in the overall development of the EU dairy industry and, in particular, their impact on the Irish dairy industry. Milk price is determined by a number of factors including the international market for dairy products, the type...

Written Answers — Poultry Industry: Poultry Industry (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Avian influenza is a serious, highly contagious viral disease of poultry, which can also spread to other animals and occasionally to human beings. EU legislation to control avian influenza is laid down in Directive 92/40/EEC. In brief, this directive requires that all suspected cases of avian influenza must be investigated and appropriate measures taken in case of confirmation of highly...

Written Answers — Food Labelling: Food Labelling (25 May 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Beef imports into the European Union from third countries must have been sourced, first, in countries and, second, in premises, that are currently listed and approved by the European Commission and which are subject to veterinary audits by the EU's Food and Veterinary Office. In addition, such imports are subject to checks laid down in the harmonised rules prescribed at European level, and...