Results 30,901-30,920 of 40,897 for speaker:Simon Coveney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Exactly. I cannot defend paying everybody the same amount of money regardless of what they do with land. One just cannot defend that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: It is not what I am doing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: With all due respect---

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I will try not to rise to the bait here. Allow me to proceed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: That is rubbish.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Deputy Ó Cuív is playing to the gallery and probably does not know what he is talking about.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: There is an irony in, on the one hand, Deputy Ó Cuív regularly referring to the fact that his previous Government put in place the Food Harvest 2020 strategy and what he is now proposing, which would totally dismantle that. He does not know what he is talking about.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: If people ask me questions I would like to answer them. There are different definitions of "active farmers" and this is one of the most difficult things to get right. To have a common legal definition of an active farmer across 27 - soon to be 28 - countries is very difficult. The Commission has said it would categorise active farmers as those having more than 5% of their income coming...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: It will be difficult to respond to all of the issues raised and also deal with the CFP in 15 minutes. I expect Deputy Thomas Pringle is in attendance specifically to discuss fishing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I have no problem coming back on another day to debate these issues. It is simply a question of finding the time to do so. I will proceed, however, with addressing the points raised as best I can. In regard to the trialogue, what happens there is that as we go through the process, the political issues are essentially parked. In other words, all the major issues, including capping,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I am representing the Council of Ministers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: As the Deputy knows, a Council position was agreed in March. In Ireland’s role as chairman of the Council of Ministers, we are negotiating with the other institutions to achieve an agreed compromise. There are essentially two major political discussions remaining. One will be an informal meeting in Dublin and the other is the Council of Ministers meeting at the end of June in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Paper never refused ink. As a former Minister himself, the Deputy knows that I cannot make budgetary commitments three or four years in advance. All I can do is outline my intention and determination to ensure we draw down all available moneys from CAP funds. Regarding the definition of small farmers, the Council position is that a small farmer is one who is in receipt of a payment of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Yes. I will answer in a moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I understand the original format for the meeting was to spend 30 minutes on each policy and that I would make a long contribution on the state of play for both policies without taking questions. However, as I am happy to take questions I will make a briefer contribution to give members to raise questions or points of clarification. I am in the Chairman's hands.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: I have a slightly longer statement on the CAP and it might be no harm to read it into the record so that everybody understands the current position. Which would the Chairman prefer me to deal with first, agriculture or fisheries?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Some members may wish to leave after that. I thank the committee for inviting me to address it on the issue of CAP reform. My comments will focus on where the negotiations currently stand and on how progress is likely to be made as we try to reach agreement on a reform package before the end of the Irish Presidency in June. I will be happy to answer members' questions at the conclusion of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Single Payment Scheme Applications (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: In order to improve its service to farmers, the Department has decided that it will acknowledge – either by text message or by post – all SPS application forms received in 2013. This is intended to assist those farmers, who had forgotten to submit their application as happens in many instances every year. In some instances, farmers are unaware that they had forgotten to submit...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agri-Environment Options Scheme Payments (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Under the EU Regulations governing all area-based payment schemes, a comprehensive administrative check of all applications, including cross-checks with the Land Parcel Identification System, must be completed before any AEOS payment can issue. Successive EU audits have made it absolutely clear that compliance with the Regulations must be strictly adhered to and that all administrative...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sea Lice Controls (7 May 2013)

Simon Coveney: Ireland’s sea lice control protocols are operated by the Marine Institute and involve regular inspections of marine fin fish sites by Marine Institute Inspectors (sites are inspected 14 times per annum). Results of inspections are provided to the farm operators within 5 working days. Results are also reported to my Department and to other interested parties such as Inland Fisheries...