Results 3,421-3,440 of 8,023 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy and Young Farmers: Engagement with Macra na Feirme (1 Dec 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I apologise for interrupting Mr. Dillon but my theory was that when trying to finance a young farmer starting off, if we did something with the package to increase the money for them in some way or another, as Mr. Keane had talked about earlier, rather than getting rid of the threshold, we would be better able to finance those starting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy and Young Farmers: Engagement with Macra na Feirme (1 Dec 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: While it is correct to set an equal platform throughout the country, young or old, my understanding is there are other options where funding could have been got out of that pot to help younger farmers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy and Young Farmers: Engagement with Macra na Feirme (1 Dec 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Our guests acknowledged the Minister is trying to resolve the matter of forgotten young farmers. There is some suggestion of various ages and I do not know how many will be involved when it comes down to it. My understanding is that is being resolved under the new CAP proposals. Will the witnesses enlighten us on what talks they have had on that? As for the eco-schemes, do they support...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy and Young Farmers: Engagement with Macra na Feirme (1 Dec 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: What is Macra na Feirme's view on mixed-species swards? I presume liming is fairly good and soil-sampling is important. Has Macra na Feirme examined the use of mixed-species grasses?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy and Young Farmers: Engagement with Macra na Feirme (1 Dec 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: My regional colleague has joined the meeting and other members may wish to contribute, so I will leave it at that. I thank our guests.

Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2021: Motion (30 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I have seen people near me and the same people are shouting about exports of cattle and all this. To be honest about it if I had as much room as an animal that goes out of this country on a boat, I would nearly be able to sleep on the broad of my back. That is the amount of room they get. We have to be constantly trying to go against other types of society. It is not a big number of...

Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2021: Motion (30 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I also welcome the Ceann Comhairle back. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue, because when people talk about public opinion, there are more places than those around Dublin. Public opinion comes from all around the country. What should be known far and wide is that there are people who might be farming sheep, cattle or whatever and who also breed a horse that might turn out to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Legislative Programme (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: In fairness to the Minister of State, I do not think he said there were any meetings. I just spoke to him in a corridor, but there was no meeting about this with his staff. Would it be helpful, if it was workable for everyone here in the Dáil, that we would reintroduce the Bill? Would the Minister of State accept it? I know he wants to introduce Government Bills and I understand all...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Legislative Programme (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for raising this matter with me. I also thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. This has been going on since 2016. The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, was in the Chamber earlier. Forestry is being help up around the country at the moment because this legislation has not passed. A civil servant has probably written a long speech for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the Chair and I welcome the Minister and his officials. The most successful system probably ever brought in in this country was the animal identification and movement, AIM, system, by the Department of Agriculture. There is low-hanging fruit in the report that we did, which could be moved on pretty rapidly, that would give confidence in the whole sector in terms of traceability. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2016: Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (24 Nov 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I apologise for that; something went wrong even though I am in Leinster House, but I do not know what happened. Those are my questions for the Minister. Deputy Carthy can then go in straight after.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I said I would come down because we got a power cut the last time.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I might have with vex. First of all, I am a contractor, but I am a small Mickey Mouse contractor when it comes to slurry in case someone would go throwing it at me. In relation to the low emissions slurry spreading which is planned to come in more over the next few years, it is contractors that put out 90% to 95% of slurry. To be quite frank about it, and farmers themselves would tell...

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Mr. Nolan spoke of the 30 km rule. Senator Paul Daly mentioned this. There is a problem and there is no point in my hiding behind it. There can be people 100 miles away taking land to cover them for nitrates. We have to talk openly about it. How will that be resolved? There will not be people spreading slurry on the side of a mountain, to be blunt, and not all mountains are commonage.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: But how do you see on the day where they put the slurry?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I have heard both Mr. Nolan and the Minister speaking about nitrates there. At the moment, if I am a farmer, I can lease out my single farm payment. No one can come to me and tell me what I have to do with nitrates or fine me or do anything, right or wrong.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: To call a spade a spade, if you have your single farm payment leased out, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will not be interested in you. You can stock whatever you want.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Cutting hedges and having cows over the stocking limits are two different ball games.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Therefore, there is nothing stopping anyone who wants to lease their payments and have as many cows as they want.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: There are about 118,000 farmers who operate and try to make a living at 170 kg/ha nitrates. There are probably 12,000 farmers over that. What is the rationale behind that?