Results 3,441-3,460 of 8,023 for speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: No, but what is the rationale if 170,000 want to stay under 170 kg/ha nitrates, that 12,000 are at 250 kg/ha?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: I might be going off track here on nitrates. We were talking about the eco scheme which will help with sequestration and nitrates. Will the Minister introduce more measures than are there currently? Is he aware that under the trees, and he is talking about growing three to hectare or whatever, that there could be a problem for some years in getting a tree that is strongish?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Does the Minister have an idea of what he is thinking about bringing in? Can he tell us?

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is good.

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

Michael Fitzmaurice: Is it possible that that budget will be increased? This is for the simple reason that multispecies grasses are nearly twice the price. The cost is approximately €95 per acre as against €60 per acre. While €1 million is welcome, if we are trying to bring farmers throughout the country on board, is there any way of upping it a bit? I will say to the Minister, and...

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.