Results 21,521-21,540 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Other Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Deputy is assuming that the low input permanent pasture is the only option available to them, which, of course, it is not. They have many options available to them and they need to look at the list in terms of what suits their farming structures and apply them. The Deputy said that many commonage farmers were confused and therefore waited for the second tranche. Low input permanent...

Other Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: They will be coming under a commonage GLAS plan if they are commonage farmers. As we are spending EU money - a lot of it - as well as Exchequer money, we have an obligation to ensure that we set targets at the start of the scheme outlining what we want done for the money. If in the first tranche we are getting a significant amount of one measure done and not much in the other areas, we...

Other Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: We have had to change it accordingly. The provisions within the scheme were always there for that and people knew it.

Other Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: That is not true. The Deputy does not understand how the Commission works.

Other Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: There is notice. The scheme is not open yet.

Other Questions: GLAS Administration (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: This is about every county. I know the Deputy is only interested in one county. It is about a scheme that makes sense across farming in Ireland. First, there is notice; it is not open yet for tranche two. It will be opening next week. We are talking about it because there is notice. The Deputy should stop this nonsense about saying there is no notice.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Scheme Payments (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: That is not true. Deputy Ó Cuív was one of the people looking for redistribution. To argue against redistribution for a sheep farmer because he has the sheep grassland scheme factored in to his single farm payment----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Scheme Payments (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Ó Cuív is wanting it both ways.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Scheme Payments (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: He is uncomfortable with that, which is why he is questioning me now.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Scheme Payments (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: We have taken every opportunity we can to support the sheep sector. We will do that through targeted agricultural modernisation schemes, TAMS and single farm payments in terms of redistribution, where sheep farmers are the big winners. We also did it when we decoupled and added to a sheep farmer's single farm payment what he would previously have been getting under the sheep grassland...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Scheme Payments (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Exactly. Farming would be a lot worse off.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Agriculture Scheme Payments (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: We have introduced the maximum CAP.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Beef Data Programme (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Beef accounts for 35% of the gross output of the agriculture sector. Beef exports in 2014 amounted to 524,000 tonnes, worth €2.27 billion. The suckler herd is a critical component of this industry. The beef data and genomics programme, BDGP, is a response to these challenges and opportunities, and particularly to the challenges associated with improved breeding performance,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Beef Data Programme (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: It is in my reply.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Beef Data Programme (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Let me just be clear. When we launched the scheme we probably should have had more information meetings earlier. I accept that. I attended a number of the meetings myself. While there were a lot of people who were concerned about elements of the scheme, I do not think those concerns were well founded in many cases. We have managed to clarify a lot of those things. I have written to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Beef Data Programme (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: There is no mass exodus here. I would like to reassure farmers that this is a really good scheme. In ten or 15 years it will prove to be one of the most innovative schemes that has ever been introduced in any European country in terms of upgrading the genetics of a herd and providing farmers with more and more accurate scientific information about better breeding programmes. It is a huge...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Beef Data Programme (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Ultimately, that is what a €300 million scheme over the next six years is all about. I think most farmers would now agree that the qualification criteria and benchmarks they have to meet on that journey are very achievable in the timescale that has been outlined. In fact, the vast majority of farmers are already where they would need to be by about 2018.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Beef Data Programme (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: We will take a look at that. I obviously want to spend the full amount of money that we have allocated for the scheme over the six years. We now need to consider whether we can afford to take more farmers in, how we could do that, who the farmers are and whether we should prioritise younger farmers or new entrants. That is a decision we will make next year when we see how much money we are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Inshore Fisheries (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: The Department does take it seriously. It takes equally seriously the relationship it has developed with the inshore sector. There have been four meetings to date, all of which I have attended. We now have an opportunity to discuss a whole range of issues. Many of the recommendations in the Oireachtas committee's report have been acted upon and more will be acted upon. In regard to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Inshore Fisheries (7 Oct 2015)

Simon Coveney: Two years down the road, it is being actively examined. That is what the Department is doing in terms of recreational fisheries, for example. We are changing that structure. We are introducing limits that will be imposed on recreational fishermen so that we can create more space for commercial fishermen. We are also expanding our V-notching programme and we have increased the compensation...