Results 2,121-2,140 of 24,020 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department continually monitors the levels of employment in the agriculture and wider agri-food sector. Employment figures are primarily sourced from the Central Statistics Office's (CSO) quarterly Labour Force Survey, for which full-year data is currently available up to 2022 (full-year 2023 figures are expected shortly). Looking at trends over the period 2019 to 2022, employment in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Safety (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Farm safety is a major issue and farming continues to be the most dangerous occupation in terms of fatalities in the workplace. There has been an average of 19 fatal incidents per year on Irish farms over the last ten years. There were 16 farm fatalities in 2023, and unfortunately this year to date, there have been two confirmed fatalities on farms. All of these fatalities are tragic...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Costs (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department constantly monitors key economic indicators in the agri-food sector, with a particular focus on changes in farm input costs, as well as developments in farm incomes, viability, structures, key commodities and food industry trends. The CSO has just released its Agricultural Price Indices for December and the Year 2023. The indices track trends in prices paid to farmers for their...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Importers of controlled wood into Ireland are required to be registered with my Department as Professional Operators and each such import is inspected by my Department at the point of entry into Ireland. The Plant Health Regulation EU PHR 2016/2031 among other things sets out the phytosanitary requirements for the importation of a range of plants and plant products including wood into the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Supports (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: A detailed Ash dieback action plan is being prepared by Minister of State, Senator Pippa Hackett for submission to Cabinet for approval in the very near future. This will outline comprehensive actions by my Department to deal with the issue of ash dieback. Detailed deliberations are taking place to ensure an efficient, appropriate and proportionate response. As part of the Forest Strategy...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Hen Harriers (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I am aware of the "Save the Skydancer" campaign. Hen Harrier numbers have declined in recent years and while the reasons behind this decline are numerous and complex, I recognise that concerns exist in relation to agriculture and that there are also significant concerns in relation to forests and forest management. To this end, my officials working on agriculture related matters and my...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department has received and acknowledged the letters in question and they have been forwarded to the relevant officials for appropriate follow up action and reply. The export of animals plays an important role in Irish agriculture by providing alternative market outlets for farmers. The trade in and the export of animals is a private commercial activity but it is heavily regulated by...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The use of remotely controlled electronic shock collars in dogs and cats has been banned in several European countries on the grounds of animal welfare. The question of whether the use of these devices on dogs and cats ought to be banned in Ireland is under consideration within my Department following consultations with the Advisory Council for Companion Animal Welfare (ACCAW), which advises...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: At present there are no plans within my Department to introduce qualifications and associated regulations with regard to dog trainers operating in Ireland.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is responsible for S.I. No 63/2015, the Microchipping of Dogs Regulation 2015 and S.I. 427/2015 - Microchipping of Dogs (Amendment) Regulations 2015. Under these Regulations, all dogs over 12 weeks of age (or younger if sold before 12 weeks) must be microchipped. It is illegal to sell/supply a dog that is not microchipped. The microchip number must be registered; this helps...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is responsible for S.I. No 63/2015, the Microchipping of Dogs Regulation 2015 and S.I. 427/2015 - Microchipping of Dogs (Amendment) Regulations 2015. Under these Regulations, all dogs over 12 weeks of age (or younger if sold before 12 weeks) must be microchipped. It is illegal to sell/supply a dog that is not microchipped. The microchip number must be registered; this helps...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fisheries Protection (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Further to my response to Parliamentary Question No. 47 of 14th December 2023, I can advise that I have launched a Public Consultation regarding trawling activity within the six nautical mile zone and the baselines. Five years ago, in December 2018, a transition to a ban on vessels over 18 metres trawling in inshore waters, inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines, was...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (21 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The person named is among ACRES participants that have not yet received their 2023 advance payment. The Deputy will be aware that on 9thFebruary 2024 I announced that an interim payment will be paid to some 25,500 ACRES participants who have not yet received their advance payment. Subsequently, on Wednesday last 14thFebruary, I announced that the rate of the interim payment will be...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Hedge Cutting (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is actively monitoring the situation as regards the deadline for the Planting of New Hedgerows under Tranche 1 of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). The requirement remains, as stated in the Scheme Specifications for that action, that the contracted length of the new hedgerow be planted by 31 March 2024. As the Deputy may be aware in relation to the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: An application under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and associated area-based schemes was received by my Department from the above named applicants on 28th May 2023. As part of the normal administrative checks an issue was identified with the structure of the Registered Farm Partnership that the applicants have applied under. This issue has been resolved in recent...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Departments Eco-Scheme section have processed over 95% of the 122,289 applications received in 2023 with payments of over €297 million having issued already. Validations and compliance checks on the remaining 5% of applications are ongoing and payment including on the specific case raised by the Deputy will issue shortly. Staff in my Department will contact the person named in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fisheries Protection (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is a set of rules for managing European fishing fleets and for conserving fish stocks. Under this policy, EU fishing fleets are given equal access to EU waters and fishing grounds subject to allocated fish quotas. Fishing vessels, irrespective of size, must comply with the rules of the CFP, including rules on access and catch limits/quota. In relation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: As the information requested extends over a period of 13 years, all the data requested is not readily available. A response will therefore issue directly to the Deputy within 10 days.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: There are currently no template reports that ecologists are waiting on. The guidance documentation in relation to applications falling within breeding wader hotspots, provides templates to guide the ecologist. These are available on the Departments website. Where applications fall within the foraging distance of a SPA the guidance advises that a report is provided by the applicant...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (20 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department depends on many map layers, including a curlew map layer, in its forestry 'IFORIS' system to assist in assessing forestry applications and ensuring these are used to safeguard important protected areas such as Curlew nest sites and their surrounds. This Curlew layer was provided by National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and...