Results 341-360 of 4,380 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Investigations (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: Twenty consignments of product of animal origin were inspected by my Department at import through Shannon Airport's Border Control Post (BCP) between 1 January 2024 and 2 June 2025. A further 97 live animal consignments were inspected in the BCP during the same period.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Regulations (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department is responsible for regulating trade in live animals, in line with the legislation. It is currently a requirement under EU Animal Health Law legislation that entire male sheep being moved to another EU country are blood sampled and have a negative test result for Brucella Ovis if they are not consigned from their country of origin, either directly or through an assembly...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Sector (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: This is an operational matter for An Rialálaí Agraibhia within their Price and Market Analysis function. I have forwarded the deputy's query to the Regulator but would also encourage the deputy to send his query to An Rialálaí Agraibhia through their dedicated inbox for Oireachtas queries: oireachtas@agrifoodregulator.ie. In regard to information collected by my...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Data (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: Coillte was established as a commercial state company with private limited status under the Forestry Act, 1988, to become custodian and manager of the national forest estate. The company is currently managing 440,000 hectares of land (7% of the total area of the Republic of Ireland), and its day-to-day operations, such as maintaining lists of addresses of properties that form part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: The tillage sector is an integral part of Irish farming and makes a significant contribution to overall agricultural output. This Government recognises the importance of the sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops in the years ahead. The report of the Food Vision Tillage Group, which was published in May 2024, sets out a road map for the sustainable growth and development of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Climate Action Plan (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: This Government recognises the importance of the sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops in the years ahead. The Climate Action Plan has set a target of growing the tillage area to 400,000 hectares as a diversification measure, and the report of the Food Vision Tillage Group sets out a road map to achieve this. My Department is engaging with stakeholders to progress the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Climate Action Plan (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: Conditionality sets the baseline requirements for farmers in receipt of CAP payments and replaces the “cross compliance” requirements in the previous CAP. Conditionality consists of Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs) and Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards. GAEC 7 is concerned with improving soil quality and health and reducing the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Martin Heydon: The tillage sector is an integral part of Irish farming and makes a significant contribution to overall agricultural output. This Government recognises the importance of the sector and wants to grow the area under tillage crops in the years ahead. My Department has provided significant direct supports to tillage farmers across a range of initiatives over the past number of years. In...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Populist.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Land Issues (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 479 and 494 together. Issues relating to the ownership of private property are subject to very significant and complex legal, constitutional and policy considerations. Any statutory limitations on the sale of land, including farmland, would be subject to such all of these considerations. Any such proposals would also involve imposing restrictions on the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Environmental Impact Assessments (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department is in the process of reviewing the regulations and once finalised, revised EIA (Agriculture) legislation and guidance documents will be published. As part of the review process, a public consultation was conducted in 2023. A total of 64 submissions were received and reviewed in response to that public consultation. The submissions were published and are available at...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Government’s afforestation target of 8,000 hectares per year is set out in the Climate Action Plan. The current Forestry Programme is the largest ever funded Programme to date, which provides attractive financial incentives and a broad range of planting options in order to achieve these ambitious targets. The comprehensive package of measures included in the Programme introduced an...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: The income supports for farmers that the Deputy refers to are provided within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and specifically on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 which sets out the rules for support under CAP Strategic Plans. There is no similar or comparable provision in place under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in relation to primary producers in the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fishing Industry (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: In Ireland, fishing quotas are a public resource and are managed to provide for proper management, conservation and rational exploitation of the State’s fishing quotas. Quotas are managed as a public good that ensures that property rights are not granted to individual operators. This is seen as a critical policy in order to ensure that quotas are not concentrated into the hands of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: School Meals Programme (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 484 and 485 together. Funding for breakfast clubs falls under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, and I understand that milk is an option under the breakfast club for the school year 2024/2025. Separately, the EU funded School Milk Scheme falls under the responsibility of my Department. The scheme is designed to inform...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Safety (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 486, 487 and 488 together. This year, my Department is implementing a range of initiatives to improve the safety, health and wellbeing of our farming community through dedicated funding of €2.5m. One of these initiatives is the open call for proposals for farm safety, health and wellbeing projects which Minister Healy-Rae T.D., Minister of State with...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the organisation charged with the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Greyhound Industry (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The question raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: Commercial movement of pets is defined where a pet, or pets, is either travelling unaccompanied, or is travelling for the use of trading, or for shows, sporting events or where an owner has more than 5 pets travelling. All commercial movements of dogs require certification, the type of certification is dependent on whether the destination is to other EU countries or non-EU countries. The...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Climate Change Policy (29 May 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department is focused on tackling climate change, protecting the environment and maintaining biodiversity, as well as ensuring farmer’s livelihoods and the family farm model of agriculture is protected and sustainable here in Ireland. One of the priorities for my Department is to ensure that we continue to make progress on reducing emissions from land use by the improved...