Results 25,461-25,480 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney
- Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: I thank Senators for their contributions. I will try to answer as many questions as I can, but Members should submit any I do not get to in writing and I will try to get to them in due course. In terms of foreign landings, as I explained, Irish waters have significant fish stocks and the Irish fleet catches a certain percentage and volume - in the region of 17% to 20% - of those stocks. The...
- Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: Of course the farmer is important. With all due respect, I do not need to be told about the importance of farmers. I have worked with them for the past three and a half years and have a very good relationship with them.
- Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: This Government has prioritised agriculture in its budgets in a way we have not seen for many years. In each Budget Statement he has delivered, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, has referred directly to agriculture and farming at the very outset. The evidence of our commitment is there to see in the growth of the sector. Problems remain and we will continue to deal with them...
- Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: I shall go to them in about 20 minutes.
- Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: It has been done for nearly one year now.
- Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: I am sorry; I will answer the questions asked in due course.
- Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: With respect, approximately 20% of the fish caught in Irish waters is caught by Irish fleets. The rest------
- Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: Most of the fish caught by Irish boats are landed in Ireland. We are trying to ensure non-Irish fishing boats fishing in Irish waters land more fish in Ireland and have had some success in that regard.
- Seanad: Fisheries Sector: Statements (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: I was delighted to accept the invitation to participate in a debate on fisheries in the Seanad. We are seeing a new era in the seafood sector, and it is not without its challenges. The introduction of a new Common Fisheries Policy took place on 1 January last. I had the good fortune to be the Presidency of the Fisheries Council during the negotiations and I secured the agreement of both the...
- Other Questions: Food Exports (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: They are all relevant points. There are issues around products that we could, and should, still export to Russia, which are not covered by its embargo, as they call it, or ban. For example, even though milk powders are banned, dairy ingredients products and casein are not banned. There are similar issues for other sectors. However, further restrictions apply to Ireland because of...
- Other Questions: Food Exports (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: The Deputy is spot on. One of the main dangers is that there has been attempt by some in the Commission to transfer unspent money in the agriculture budget to other non-agricultural expenditure programmes. We have been seeking additional money for agriculture to deal with this problem because it is primarily a foreign affairs issue and there is a risk the agriculture budget could be raided....
- Other Questions: Commonage Areas (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: That is a very fair point. We are trying to introduce a basic minimum stocking rate that everybody has to apply. However, in many commonage areas we want to encourage farmers to put considerably more stock on it. The stocking rate is about proving a minimum level of agricultural activity. I hope everybody agrees that we should focus our financial supports on active farmers as opposed to...
- Other Questions: Commonage Areas (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: While I understand what the Deputy is saying, there is another consideration - the accuracy of mapping. On many occasions we have discussed in the House the problems we have had with the new LPIS whereby we now have more accurate imagery of land than we have ever had before. As a result of that accuracy, the Commission has deemed that Ireland effectively owes it €181 million in terms...
- Other Questions: Food Exports (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: The Russian ban on agricultural products from the EU came into operation on 7 August. Russia is the second most important destination for EU agrifood exports. These exports are valued at just under €12 billion based on trade in 2013 and the products covered by the ban are valued at more than €5 billion, representing 43% of the EU’s trade in agricultural products to...
- Other Questions: Beef Industry (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: We are doing many things to safeguard the industry. I have just been talking about that.
- Other Questions: Beef Industry (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: For a start, this Government has prioritised the beef industry in each of the past three budgets. Next year alone in terms of the rural development programme, we will be putting about €73 million directly into the beef and suckler beef sectors. We have designed a rural development programme specifically to prioritise the beef sector to ensure it gets the supports it needs. If one...
- Other Questions: Beef Industry (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: With all due respect and not for the first time, the Deputy outlines what he thinks of as a big problem but gives no solutions to anything.
- Other Questions: Beef Industry (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: First of all, one can only deal with something if it exists.
- Other Questions: Beef Industry (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: The Deputy's opinion on whether there is a cartel is only relevant if he can provide evidence to me or the Competition Authority that a cartel does operate. The Competition Authority has looked at this in the past and has deemed that no cartel exists. The authority has received evidence from farming organisations in recent years, has looked at it and has said that there is insufficient...
- Other Questions: Beef Industry (12 Nov 2014)
Simon Coveney: As part of beef forum proposals, we publish beef prices in all factories at different grades on a beef price app every week so that we can see that there are different prices in different factories in different parts of the country at different times. If there is evidence around a cartel rather than a political accusation, let us hear it. In the meantime, let us solve the problems we...