Results 26,661-26,680 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Public Service Contracts (1 Jul 2014)

Simon Coveney: The restriction of the supply of bovine tags to a single supplier is designed to ensure that farmers obtain the best tag from a technical and price perspective. The farming organisations have expressed a preference for this approach on the basis that it ensures that ear tags can be made available at a more competitive price by a single supplier benefiting from economies of scale....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Rural Development Programme Projects (1 Jul 2014)

Simon Coveney: I announced details of the new GLAS (Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme) in January 2014 as part of a suite of proposed measures under the new Rural Development Programme. Following an extensive consultation process, I published a second draft of the entire Rural Development Programme in May as part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. This latest document sets out...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme (1 Jul 2014)

Simon Coveney: I announced details of the new GLAS (Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme) on 14 January 2014 as part of a suite of proposed measures under the new Rural Development Programme. GLAS will provide significant funding to farmers who undertake environmental actions in line with national and EU environmental objectives. It will contribute to the overall public good and will build on the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Correspondence (1 Jul 2014)

Simon Coveney: My Department has indicated on numerous occasions to the person concerned that this case, which relates to events more than 30 years ago, has been fully dealt with in Court. My Department has provided all releasable personal information to the person concerned under various FOI and Data Protection requests. I should also explain that my Department provided a detailed brief to the Public...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Correspondence (1 Jul 2014)

Simon Coveney: The issue referred to has been the subject of considerable correspondence with my Department and with the Chief State Solicitors Office in the last number of years. The Chief State Solicitor recently advised that all correspondence with the persons concerned should issue from her Office. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for a meeting to be arranged at this time. However, I understand...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports (1 Jul 2014)

Simon Coveney: My Department attaches considerable importance to the live export trade and, over the years, has been very active in facilitating shipments abroad. Live exports serve a dual purpose as a means of satisfying market demands for live animals and providing alternative market outlets for farmers. Total live exports to date this year are over 154,000 head of which 26,000 went to the UK, an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Veterinary Regimes Harmonisation (1 Jul 2014)

Simon Coveney: There is already a substantial degree of harmonisation of the veterinary regimes on the island of Ireland, particularly in view of the fact that the bulk of the animal health and welfare measures implemented on the island are based on EU legislation. The main objective of the North-South strategy in the animal health and welfare area is to establish equivalent internal arrangements on both...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Eligibility (1 Jul 2014)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 367 and 368 together. When the Single Payment Scheme was introduced in 2005, land afforested under an EU funded, or an equivalent nationally funded, Afforestation Aid Scheme was not eligible for payment. Therefore, lands afforested during the period 2005 to 2008 were not and cannot now become eligible for payment under the Single Payment Scheme. However,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Milk Quota Cessation (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The milk quota regime will come to an end on the 31 March 2015 and under the Milk Quota Regulations all farmers who intend commencing milk deliveries before that date, including those who will commence after 1 January 2015, will require a milk quota. Up to 31 March 2015 milk purchasers cannot accept deliveries from milk suppliers, unless the milk supplier holds a milk quota with that milk...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Transfer of Entitlements Application (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: My Department received a Transfer of Entitlements application from the person named on 15 May 2014 to transfer entitlements by way of sale. The transferee is in the process of obtaining a herd number and the Transfer of Entitlements application will be processed as soon as the transferee becomes a registered herd owner.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Investigations (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: A number of linked cases arising from investigations by my Department’s Special Investigation Unit in 1999 are still before the courts. The hearing of these cases commenced in 2002 but progress has been delayed as a result of the lodgement of several sets of proceedings by the defendants, including various challenges to the legislation under which the charges were brought. The...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Contracts (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The person named carries out testing under the Bovine TB and Brucellosis Eradication Schemes. He is being allocated testing in excess of my Department’s contractual commitments to him. As litigation is extant, it would not be appropriate to comment any further.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Rural Development Plan (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The new Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 (RDP) will be a key support in enhancing the competitiveness of the agri-food sector, achieving more sustainable management of natural resources and ensuring a more balanced development of rural areas. The process of developing the draft RDP has been a lengthy and complex one. A central element of this process has been ongoing and substantive...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Bovine Disease Controls (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: While good progress is being made by farmers in removing persistently infected (PI) animals under the Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme, I am concerned with a number of PI animals being retained on a relatively small number of farms. Therefore to further assist and encourage farmers in removing PI animals, I have introduced new funding measures providing for a payment of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: GLAS Eligibility (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: I announced details of the new GLAS (Green Low-carbon Agri-environment Scheme) on 14 January 2014 as part of a suite of proposed measures under the new Rural Development Programme. GLAS will provide significant funding to farmers who undertake environmental actions in line with national and EU environmental objectives. It will contribute to the overall public good and will build on the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry Development (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: On 14 May I launched a package of national measures aimed at supporting and developing Ireland’s inshore fisheries. Inshore fisheries are particularly important to small-scale coastal communities and a significant proportion of Ireland’s inshore fleet operate off the Kerry coast. There are now 2 development schemes dedicated to supporting the inshore fisheries sector which,...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: I would start by saying that Ireland is very supportive of an EU/US trade deal. An agreement between the world’s two major trading blocs has the potential to increase growth and grow jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. In the agri-food sector we have strong offensive interests, both in terms of market access and in eliminating some of the irritants that hinder trade. We are seeking...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Quality Assurance Scheme (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: The Bord Bia Beef and Lamb Quality Assurance Scheme (BLQAS) is an integrated scheme involving the producer and the processing plant working in partnership to provide the customer with quality assured product. The scheme describes the essential quality assurance requirements from primary production through factory processing to final despatch which are necessary to meet customer requirements....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry Irregularities (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 174 together. I am not aware of any evidence of price fixing in the beef industry. The Competition Authority is an independent statutory body that enforces Irish and European competition law in Ireland. Its mission is ‘to ensure that markets work well for Irish consumers, business and the economy’. It does this by taking action against...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Industry (26 Jun 2014)

Simon Coveney: Currently there are 32 beef slaughtering plants approved to export from Ireland to local, EU and third country markets and over 195 local authority businesses approved plants that may export locally or to the EU. The details (names/addresses etc) of the all the approved plants are on the websites of my Department and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) in the case of local authority...