Results 19,741-19,760 of 24,049 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy may be aware, the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022. The new Programme will benefit farmers, rural communities and the wider climate and environment for years to come. Subject to State Aid approval from the European Commission and the completion of the ongoing Strategic...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I established the Food Vision 2030 Dairy Group last year to advance the actions for the dairy sector identified in the Food Vision 2030 strategy, taking account of the requirement for the sector to contribute to achieving the targets set for agriculture emissions in the Climate Act process. The first priority for the Group was to chart a pathway to achieving the legally binding target of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Coillte Teoranta (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: It is Government policy that Coillte, as the State forestry company, should play a leading role in addressing our climate change and biodiversity challenges as a core part of its remit. This is set out clearly in the Shareholder Letter of Expectation which I issued to the company last June, together with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform as the other shareholding Minister....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Farming and the agri-food sector is a hugely important aspect our economy but also our society. It is a sector that drives economic growth in every rural parish in every county of the country. Agri-food sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous exporting sector, playing a vital role in Ireland’s economy. The sector accounts for almost 7% of Gross National Income (GNI) and 9% of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I requested the production of the Economic Analysis of the Irish Small-Scale Fleet to provide much needed data to assess the situation facing the inshore sector. It highlighted the impact which issues such as increased fuel costs had on profitability and the incomes of fishers. It has been a welcome signal that since the analysis was completed for this report, fuel prices have continued to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The new CAP 2023-2027 has commenced this year and payments will issue in the fourth quarter of the year across a very broad range of schemes. With this being the first year of the new CAP Strategic Plan, a whole range of new schemes is being introduced along with substantial changes to existing schemes, over a relatively short time period. We are fully committed to making payments to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I am aware of the report referred to by the Deputy. The Report's recommendations cover a number of cross Government matters in relation to health and climate and also agriculture in the context of transition to a sustainable food system. The report refers to Food Vision 2030 which, as the Deputy will be aware, reflects a sustainable food systems approach. A food systems approach...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Inshore Fisheries (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy will be aware, in December 2018, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine announced that vessels over 18 metres would be excluded from trawling in inshore waters inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines from 1 January 2020. A transition period of three years for vessels over 18 metres targeting sprat was allowed to enable adjustment for these vessels, as the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The storage and stacking of silage bales are regulated under the Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters Regulations, otherwise known as the ‘GAP Regulations’. These Regulations provide legal effect in Ireland to the Nitrates Directive and to our Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). The purpose of the GAP Regulations is to provide measures that ensure the protection...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I welcome the recent recommendations from the Citizens Assembly on Biodiversity Loss following the publication of the final report on the work of the Assembly on 5 April 2023. The report includes 159 recommendations. These include 73 high-level recommendations and 86 sectoral specific actions and priorities. These recommendations and related policy implications, including those that...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022. The Programme will benefit farmers, rural communities and the overall climate and environment for many years to come. Subject to State Aid approval from the European Commission and the completion of the ongoing Strategic Environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The agriculture sector is the largest contributor to Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions. While challenging from an Irish perspective, and unusual in an international context, this fact reflects the economic, and historical, importance of agriculture, relative to other industries in the Irish economy. Reducing emissions in agriculture is not a uniquely Irish challenge –...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fisheries Protection (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy will be aware, in December 2018, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine announced that vessels over 18 metres would be excluded from trawling in inshore waters inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines from 1 January 2020. A transition period of three years for vessels over 18 metres targeting sprat was allowed to enable adjustment for these vessels, as the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Programme for Government places a positive emphasis on animal welfare and specifically commits to the continued robust enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. This Act provides a modern framework for regulating and applying standards in the area of animal health and welfare. I am fully satisfied that enforcement measures under the Act remain effective. The Act has...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy will be aware that we await state aid approval for the ambitious new Forestry Programme. In the meantime to fill the lacuna created by the end of the last programme on 31st December 2022, an interim afforestation scheme and an interim forest roads scheme were launched, under the General De Minimis Regulation. This allowed those landowners with unused licences at the end of 2022 to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy will be aware that the management arrangements for the State’s fisheries, including the Mackerel fishery, have been set and developed over many years since the commencement of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the introduction of quotas. Pelagic stocks such as Mackerel are managed on an annual or seasonal basis with catch limits set based on allocation regimes...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Supports (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Although there has been a solid and sustained increase in average sheep prices since the end of February, I recognise that sheep farmers are experiencing more difficult market conditions in 2023 compared to recent years. The Government, as the Deputy can appreciate, has no role in determining commodity prices in the sheep sector. However, it is heartening to see that markets are now...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Regulations (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic and I assure him that this is something I have acutely aware of and I am following the situation extremely closely. The co-decision process for the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law is being managed by the Environment Council. The views of the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers have also been sought, and this proposal was...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The Government has committed €1.3 billion to the new Forestry Programme, which is the biggest and largest funded Forestry Programme ever introduced by any Government here. It has been designed to contribute to our climate change and biodiversity objectives and is aimed in particular at re-engaging farmers in order that we can reach our ambitious afforestation target of 8,000 hectares...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (25 May 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: As Deputies may be aware the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022. The new Programme will benefit farmers, rural communities and the overall climate and environment. Subject to State Aid approval from the European Commission and the completion of the ongoing Strategic Environmental...