Results 241-260 of 583 for speaker:Tom Barry

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture and Fisheries Councils and Report on Promoting Sustainable Rural Coastal and Island Communities: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (10 Jun 2014)

Tom Barry: Based on feedback from its suppliers, Dairygold is aiming for a 57% increase in its production. However, it only holds 0.6% of the market into which it is supplying milk formula and so forth. Even after its expansion, its share will decrease to 0.4%. This is a strong argument that there should not be price volatility in the markets into which co-ops supply. The co-ops will not affect the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land (Resumed): European Commission (5 Jun 2014)

Tom Barry: I wish to go back to the comments the Commission representative made regarding monoculture. Perhaps there is a lack of understanding in this case. Let us consider the greatest problems we face. Most of our land is in grass. Therefore, it is as green as it is going to get. In the case of our cereal lands, the biggest problem we have is the size of our fields. They are rather small. In...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land (Resumed): European Commission (5 Jun 2014)

Tom Barry: I thank Mr. Haniotis for his presentation. He mentioned that agricultural prices are relatively high at present but that would not pertain to cereals. At the moment, cereal prices are such that cereal farming in Ireland is almost unsustainable. Our rainfall levels and climate mean that Septoria in wheat is becoming a problem. With the lack of pesticides on the market at present and with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (29 May 2014)

Tom Barry: 44. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if, under the upcoming European cohesion policy headline target for education, development and strategy to promote the EU flagship initiative, Youth on the Move,he has carried out actions to enhance the performance of our education system. [23283/14]

Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 May 2014)

Tom Barry: I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Bill. Social housing is a major issue and one which is raised weekly in my clinics in Fermoy and Mallow. Some people have spent years on the housing list and it is difficult not to be moved when one listens to their distressing stories. This is an extensive Bill and I will focus on a small number of key areas. An evaluation of actual housing need...

Discretionary Medical Cards: Motion [Private Members] (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this Private Members' motion on medical cards. We need to be cognisant of the fact that this discussion is taking place against the background of our health service which is already costing this country approximately €14 billion. It shows that the Government is committed to health. However, it does not mean that we have a perfect health...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of land (Resumed): Bord na Móna and UCD (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: It is only a minor matter but I believe we should have a measurement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of land (Resumed): Bord na Móna and UCD (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: Yes, it does. I would like the chairperson to note that I believe a measurement of greenhouse gas emissions per farm is not a bad idea as part of our environment scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of land (Resumed): Bord na Móna and UCD (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: Reference was made to hedgerows. In the ecologically focused areas we have many hedgerows but they are more the butt of a ditch than anything else. At the moment we are not allowed to do much to poorly formed hedgerows containing only a few alders. These are not even hedgerows and they do not block cattle and so on. Is Dr. Sheridan suggesting we should go back and try to renew them by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of land (Resumed): Bord na Móna and UCD (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: While we were involved in REPS we did a good deal of internal hedging for existing hedges but we could not take down the boundary ditch. The boundary ditch could have been in a terrible mess and good farming practice would suggest striping it down and plant a proper hedge in its place which could be managed subsequently. Many boundary hedges are simply scrub, weeds and bushes but not proper...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of land (Resumed): Bord na Móna and UCD (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: Yes, but you know what I mean. In some cases a farmer has to wipe a ditch to start it again.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of land (Resumed): Bord na Móna and UCD (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: That was a very interesting presentation. We should give more recognition to what is going on in the universities. I have been arguing for some time that as part of our new REPS, GLAS and GLAS+, we should have a greenhouse gas emissions inventory. We should be measuring the greenhouse gas footprint of farms now. I would like to have a copy of the slides describing best management...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of land (Resumed): Bord na Móna and UCD (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: I am just curious.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of land (Resumed): Bord na Móna and UCD (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: I vaguely understand that point. When I asked the question I was wondering if we could ever produce food in the cutaway. Obviously this land has produced an economic return from the employment generated by turf cutting. Other than using the cutaway for using up carbon, can we put sheep or other animals on it? Other than stabilising the site, is there any possibility of commercial...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of land (Resumed): Bord na Móna and UCD (13 May 2014)

Tom Barry: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. The witnesses referred to lands being "environmentally stabilised". Will they explain what that means? When these lands are vacated, will they be wet or dry? I have the mindset that one would normally try to dry out wet ground. Diversity was also mentioned but is the idea of creating a national park just an easy way out? Should we not be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Tom Barry: I am sorry. My point is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Tom Barry: It is the renewable heat incentive scheme. If they are promoting it, they will have to start joining up the thought process of how businesses achieve funding to put these in place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Maximising the Usage and Potential of Land: Coillte (3 Apr 2014)

Tom Barry: I thank the representatives from Coillte for their highly informative presentation. I am delighted Coillte has put so much stock into its renewable incentive scheme, to which I will turn in a minute. If possible, it would be nice to have sight of Coillte's submission, which is a subject on which I have lobbied the Government extensively. While I believe the future lies there, it is not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Coillte Teoranta: Chairman Designate (3 Apr 2014)

Tom Barry: I would also like to extend a warm welcome to Mr. Moloney and I wish him well. He certainly has left Glanbia in great order and it is a very professional organisation with which I have dealt quite a bit. The return to the State from Coillte has been dismal. I think there was a return of €2 million and then €10 million was added to that when Coillte was under pressure because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef and Livestock Sector: Discussion (25 Mar 2014)

Tom Barry: I welcome the deputations. While Bord Bia believes there is a positive future for beef production in the country, as Mr. Cotter has stated, the farmers do not believe it and this is where the kernel of the matter is going. Most farmers who come to me regularly cannot manage. The papers are lovely and aspirational and it is great to see all the statistics, but farmers cannot cope with the...