Results 2,221-2,240 of 24,195 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Turbary Rights (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Kerrane. The Deputy will be aware that the ACRES scheme is our flagship environmental scheme under the new CAP. Over the course of the past year we have had 1.1 million ha of land scored, representing 25% of our overall total productive land in the Republic, including more than 400,000 ha of commonage. This is a phenomenal achievement and one that advisers and farmers as...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Turbary Rights (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: This issue was first brought to my attention by the INHFA and their Donegal chairman, Mr. John McConway, and the concern that turbary as scored as part of the wider commonage would have a disproportionate impact. Having taken on board that concern, there was engagement with the Department. The direction agreed after that was that the turbary would be extracted from the wider commonage and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Turbary Rights (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: At the outset the initial intention was that everything would be scored within the one commonage together and the turbary would be within that commonage as well. The concern was then expressed that this could lead to a disproportionate impact on the overall score and the payment to the farmer. I then intervened and the decision was made to extract and separate out turbary from the wider...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Flood Relief Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Each of those who have given an expression of interest having not originally been identified is having their submission looked at. The AMS is being used to verify those appeals. In any scheme like this, there have to be boundaries and conditions attached to make it possible to administer. This particular scheme has been confined to farmers who have land within the Shannon Callows SAC area....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Flood Relief Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: This scheme was particular to the Shannon Callows SAC. There are obviously instances of flooding in areas across the country where there is no flood scheme. This is the first time we have ever done this. It has never happened before. The challenge in any scheme like this is determining where to draw the boundaries and the lines. The issue raised by the Deputy and others related to the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: We are using it all up. We will not leave any of it behind.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I do not know offhand. I can ask my team to revert to the Deputy on that matter. It will all be used. In the coming weeks, I will announce about €258 million in different schemes that will come in over the next few years to support the sector, particularly inshore fishers. The price on 12 February for marine gas oil was 64 cent per litre. Just before the invasion of Ukraine two...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy is welcome to put forward a policy suggestion in this regard as to what such a scheme would look like. It would entail paying for and subsidising the cost of buying fuel because the State does not apply any Revenue charges. Her party does not have any policy in this area at the moment. Should she wish to develop a policy, I will look at it and see what she proposes. The State...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Flood Relief Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The Government fully recognises that there was an exceptional flooding incident and event in the Shannon Callows late last summer which prevented some farmers from completing normal traditional harvesting of silage and or hay. This left affected farmers in a serious situation requiring them to purchase fodder to maintain animal health and welfare during the winter months. It was the first...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Kerrane. Payments to farmers are particularly important. I place a big emphasis on them in the context of the role played by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. That is why last year, which was the first year of the new Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, we put a massive effort into making sure that we would set dates at the start of the year that could be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Tax averaging is available to farmers to even out what can be uneven incomes that come from farming, particularly in terms of prices and sales. It is also available in the context of the two payments farmers are due to receive. This is the first time a decision to offer an interim payment has been made by a Minister. I am taking this approach because I understand the importance of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Schemes (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: In reply to Deputy Kerrane, as I say, the income averaging which is available to farmers is available in this case. The objective has been to make sure that farmers get paid as early as possible. That was not possible in December, but we are making sure that everyone will be paid by the end of this month. As matters stand, I only have funding for 4,000 farmers this year . As the Deputy...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (22 Feb 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I continue to be particularly aware of the challenges being faced by the seafood sector and by fishing families and particularly the challenge we have had over the past couple of years around the increased costs of marine fuel. As previously stated in a response to this issue, I met with the industry’s representative groups a number of times to discuss this as well as other matters....

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

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 51 and 73 together. I was pleased to accept the invitation to address the recent AGM of the Irish Farmers Association as is custom and practice for Ministers for Agriculture. I was accompanied by my Ministerial colleagues in the Department, Ministers of State Pippa Hackett and Martin Heydon where we addressed the meeting on a wide range of relevant...

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

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is committed to achieving 10% of all land farmed organically by 2030. A key element of this is providing the infrastructure and support to both those farmers that convert to Organic and those who are thinking of converting. There has been a very strong uptake in the Organic Farming Scheme over the last three years, most recently in December 2023, when a further 1,000...

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

Charlie McConalogue: As Deputies will be aware there has been a decline in afforestation in recent years. In 2020 2,434 hectares of land were afforested, with 2,061 hectares and 2,273 hectares in the years 2021 and 2022 respectively. In 2023, there were protracted negotiations with the EU Commission to secure State Aid approval for the new Forestry Programme, which was launched in September. This had an...

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

Charlie McConalogue: As the deputy is aware, there was unprecedented demand under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) Tranche 1. This is a reflection of the interest amongst farmers in taking on actions to address climate, biodiversity, and environmental issues. In response to this ambition by farmers, I ensured that all eligible Tranche 1 applications were approved, with just under 46,000 active...

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

Charlie McConalogue: I acknowledge that the new UK requirements represent a significant change for Irish businesses trading with Great Britain and the additional burdens they impose on this vital trade. My Department has had extensive engagement with all stakeholders in the agri-food sector on these changes. This has included detailed training sessions for businesses trading with the UK and direct engagement by...

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

Charlie McConalogue: The Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) is funded under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan. It provides support to sheep farmers for carrying out actions that improve animal health and welfare in the sheep sector and builds on the progress made by the Sheep Welfare Scheme (SWS), which has now come to an end. The first year of this 5-year scheme ran from the 1st February 2023 to the 31st of...

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

Charlie McConalogue: As part of the governance and oversight of the Climate Action Plan process, the Department of An Taoiseach publish, on a quarterly basis, progress reports on the status of the actions within the Climate Action Plan (CAP) for 2021 and 2023. These reports are available online: www.gov.ie/en/publication/55fde-climate-action-important-pub lications All actions assigned to the agriculture sector...