Results 3,401-3,420 of 7,978 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will raise the issue of marrying up schemes, which the Chairman has, in fairness, raised on numerous occasions, in addition to me and other members. I am hearing a negative view from people in the sector who, in the past day or two, met officials in the Department who are drawing up the schemes. If a farmer went on the green low-carbon agri-environment scheme, GLAS, was on it for two...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I cannot understand that the terms and conditions of GLAS state that the EU promotes the sowing of trees and all of that - and it could be due to the EU rather than the Department because we see it in appeals - but also state that we cannot go near the ground that is on the scheme. I just cannot fathom it, if the EU is talking about trees, which is one of its big agendas at present, and a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Action Programme: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. Nolan spoke about slurry storage and farmers being overstocked or expanded. Will there be a facility to grant-aid those farmers? There was a proposal that every shed would have to be covered or something. Would it not be better to give a grant for the ground to put in the tanks everywhere? Some farmers might be over their stock or area where they have enough storage. How does the...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the Minister and his officials for coming in. The Minister referred to some €7 million for forestry. Last week, at this committee, Teagasc officials gave a fairly sobering assessment that in the first five years after trees are planted, there is damn all in terms of sequestration. We are in bother between now and 2030 because, basically, from 2016, although it is not the...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It is five years.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: On GLAS, the beef genomics scheme, TAMS and the BEAM scheme, what moneys are left over in total? Where will those moneys go? If there are fewer farmers in GLAS, the beef genomics scheme, the afforestation scheme, TAMS and the BEAM scheme, where will all the moneys go?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Does the money go back to the Exchequer or is it held in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I saw in a report by Agriland or another such organisation that Macra na Feirme had indicated a scheme for young farmers had been agreed at EU level. I did not see details of it; I have looked. Is there a scheme coming out that will make it easier for young farmers to gain access to money to buy land or for another purpose? Macra na Feirme wrote something about it.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will ask another question while Ms Chapman is looking for the information. With regard to moneys left over, why do we not consider ideas such as starting a solar grant scheme for farmers under TAMS? I fully understand the hold-up owing to Covid and the lack of builders in places. Is the Department actively considering systems to reduce methane emissions from tanks, for example?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I have two shorter questions. On the veterinary medicine regulation, we hear that vets are telling farmers at meetings around the country that if they are getting dosing materials for the cattle, it will involve a dung sample. Members of this committee understood that, at a herd test, a farmer would acquire the doses for fluke and do out a plan with the vet. That does not seem to add up...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 30 - Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Supplementary) (23 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: On the eco-scheme, we need more choices. I would be the first to say that. I know the Minister is looking at that and I would welcome it being made workable for all farmers. It is needed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Regarding checking hedgerows, am I correct in saying that the system uses 0.1 of a hectacre?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Trees and hedgerows.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Does the Department have an account of everything under that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Am I correct in saying that all of this is applicable after 2030? From listening to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and others, it is my understanding that this will become a benefit to Ireland regarding the amount of sequestration and carbon tonnage it is able to substract from 2030 onwards.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am talking about the ones that are planted already and the hedgerows that we have not counted, and all of that. We have been told that it is 2030. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: In the North, Mr. Poots MLA has brought in the LiDAR system, which I have seen used in bogs. It is a pretty effective method. In the North, they are using the system for soils and for all the mounted carbon that is stored in hedges and in the trees around the country. Why have we not done that as a country, and tied up with what they are doing in Northern Ireland? If we did so, we would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. Callanan has referred to the OPW. The issue we are discussing is affecting farmers and the livelihoods of farmers. Would the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine not liaise with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the OPW, as a last throw of the dice? The OPW does not have a big interest in it, to be honest. It is the Departments Agriculture,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Would it not be accurate to state that at the moment we are talking about what a cow, a bullock or a heifer produces? We are able to provide figures on that. I do not know whether they are right or wrong. We do not know, on the other side, what we are taking in in hedges nationwide, what is on the motorways, what is planted in different parts of the country, what is coming in in barley or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: As Mr. Callanan mentioned forestry, I will focus on that area. There have been 2.8 million tonnes of sequestration lost over the last four to five years because people could not get licences. Looking at the targets that are put out there and the duration of the targets, the number that we have lost is like losing 8.6 million tonnes of carbon sequesters, because the licences are stuck in the...