Results 2,581-2,600 of 7,978 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: The witnesses are right about the colleges and being in for the longer haul and that is good to see for young farmers. Thankfully, a lot of young farmers are doing the green cert. I know a few places that are booked out for another while and it is good that they are doing it. What is Mr. McCormack's vision going forward for the family farm as against the bigger farm in the context of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am sorry for interrupting but for any poor dairy farmer out there, my honest opinion is that anyone who is spreading fertiliser will not get much out of this agri-environment scheme because farmers will not be growing the flowers people are on about growing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I want to correct a point because I was looking at the figures. It is 6,113 farmers who have more than 100 cows and for those who have between 100 and 200 cows you can take-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: You cannot do something overnight because if people have commitments you cannot just take them out.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. McCormack talked about the stocking rates and so on, is the ICMSA or Teagasc doing anything to see if it is workable? I always have a vision of a suckler herd where we should produce a cow that would rear two calves. One on its own is not able to do that. Is there any work being done by Teagasc and organisations such as the ICMSA that would help with the stocking rates, and all that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: One thing we need to do as a committee, which I will propose and perhaps it may be seconded, is where Mr. Drennan mentioned earlier that the EPA report has been held up for so long and that the ICMSA did not receive it. There is a duty on the EPA to give the report to the ICMSA and to publish it for the betterment of all, in the first instance. When the Department appears before the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the witnesses. The Department talks of a review. It needs to be up front and straight with farmers. It cannot just tell someone with a certain number of cows that the provision will be gone next week, month or year. Have the officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage seen the report on water quality? The previous set of witnesses stated the report...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It is on water quality.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Why was it always issued in July? Now, funnily enough, it is a few months late.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: My next question is for the officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. They talk about different problems, including those associated with nitrogen and phosphorus. There are a lot of towns around Ireland where effluent from sewage-treatment plants goes into the rivers we talk about. Funnily enough, the farmer always gets kicked around the place about this....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Modelling is one thing but can Mr. Flynn tell me scientifically?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Based on the sample you take?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If you took it at the end of a river, at the estuary, and phosphorous was showing, could you ascertain there and then whether it came from a human or an animal?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: So, we could be making assumptions. There are so many things done with modelling at the moment, including some of the climate modelling, but modelling can end up blaming someone. Unless we can know for definite whether the phosphorus is from an animal or the sewage-treatment plant, we have a big problem. Many sewage-treatment plants in this country have two open gates or whatever when...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I understand that but I am trying to establish the position on algae at an estuary in which phosphorous shows up. Mr. Flynn is telling me the EPA, unless it does modelling, cannot say whether it comes from a person or animal.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: The only thing I would say to the delegates is that down my way there are many towns that do not have a sewage-treatment plant, unfortunately. In looking for a contributing factor, the finger is always pointed at the farmer. The book would be out even with a treatment facility. It would be fine if we had the finest of treatment plants. I have another question for the delegates from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It is banned if you are in Bord Bia.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: TAMS was mentioned. My understanding is that if a farmer does not have enough capacity and is over the stocking limit, he or she will not get a grant. Is that not counterproductive? Should we not try to bring farmers within the requirements? I have seen Mr. Callanan in Leinster House many a time. What is his vision for what will happen? Does he agree that we cannot just bring it down to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: We have discussed the family farm. With the excess increasing from 85 kg in dairy cows – some are increasing to 106 kg, depending on milk yield – will safeguards be put in place for the family farm, be it beef, dairy or whatever? We talked about a smaller dairy family farm as being 100 or 120 cows. Will safeguards be put in place to ensure that, unlike farms with 700, 800 or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Derogation and Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (14 Sep 2022)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It was the Commission that made Ireland introduce banding.