Results 3,681-3,700 of 23,948 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: There is a role and responsibility for all sectors. Nitrates is obviously primarily an agricultural issue. Phosphorous is primarily an urban waste issue in terms of its contribution in impacting water quality. We must also be careful in how we manage our forestry. Our new forestry plan and programme, which we have just initiated, is very much conscious of this and of buffers being in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The reality is that Coillte has been leading the change of approach with regard to our national forestry. There is no doubt, if you go back between 20 and 40 years, that the way we do forestry is very different now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: It is about the right tree in the right place. There is no doubt, if you go back, that trees were planted in places that were not appropriate. It would have been monocultural, and in terms of buffer zones and so on, it would bear no resemblance to what we now have in place. Coillte has been at the forefront of changing that in terms of the blend of deciduous broadleaf trees versus...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I will certainly provide the Deputy with an update on those points. As I said, Coillte is leading on the changes and the different approach to forestry that we are taking. Our new forestry programme is entirely different from the forestry programmes that were in place 20 years ago and more.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: We need to be clear about the very challenging position we were in when we were negotiating the derogation. It was a very difficult negotiation. What the Commission had on the table was much less than the 220 kg N/ha that we ultimately negotiated. We fought very hard to get the strongest possible outcome. Those were the four tests the Commission required as part of that derogation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I will refer to Mr. Callanan or Mr. Massey to provide more of the technical detail on the four tests. It was not just one particular aspect; there were four different aspects to it, which I will ask Mr. Callanan to outline.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: That is correct. That is the requirement and that was the position we were in. We fought hard to get a really strong derogation. The battle now is to make sure that, come the end of 2025, we are in a position to continue to secure that derogation and to keep it. The situation could have been a lot worse if we had not fought the way we did to get the derogation we have. Perhaps Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: It has a real and undoubted impact for farmers who are farming at between 220 kg N/ha and 250 kg N/ha. Teagasc has done modelling on it. That is why we have to work to support those farmers throughout this period. It is also why we have to work to make sure we hold the derogation above 220 kg N/ha.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I will give the Senator a written update on it. It impacts variously depending on the-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I will send it to the committee. It speaks to the necessity to work hard to ensure we hold it. We have seen the impact that going from 250 kg N/ha to 220 kg N/ha can have. Were we to drop further from where we are now, it would be even more serious. It is very important we all work collectively to put ourselves in a strong position.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Teagasc has done some initial work in this regard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Teagasc has done so and it has been published and is widely available.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: To which targeted measures is the Senator referring?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: What we have to complete over the course of this autumn is our nitrates action programme review, which applies to all farmers. That is basically looking at and assessing what steps we take and what amendments we make to our own national nitrates action programme, separate to the derogation as such, in regard to improving water quality. That is something I will be engaging on closely with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: The situation facing each farm will be different. I will be engaging with the water quality working group on this challenge as well and seeing how we can support in the best way possible those farmers who are affected. It is something we will be reflecting on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: We have a lot of work to do, even before the budget, on stepping all of this out. I will be meeting the water quality working group very shortly as well and continuing to engage directly with farmers. I have been engaging strongly with all farmer representative organisations on the issue throughout, particularly through the water quality working group, because we have a shared challenge...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: I will engage with the water quality group on that too. I would welcome Deputy Kerrane's own proposals. Obviously, in advance of the budget, everybody will make his or her proposals. No doubt, Sinn Féin will put its proposals on the table as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: In the context of the budget, I will do my very best and get the very best outcome possible for farmers and farm families, delivering on the 50% increase that we have delivered from a Government point of view in the new Common Agriculture Policy. Everything will be considered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: Yes. The other issue the Deputy raised with me earlier as well was the issue of payments, which has been topical recently, and I will touch on that. On animal transport, however, the only recent change relates to cross-border transport whereby any transport of animals cross-border has to be registered in the tracing system. That is an EU requirement so that people know what is going from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Water Quality and the Nitrates Derogation: Discussion (15 Sep 2023)

Charlie McConalogue: In summary, one of the points that was not discussed today or really raised was the meeting I had with the Commissioner but it was raised much over the past few weeks in the wider context. I emphasise the ongoing engagement I have had with the Commission and the Commissioner in respect of this challenge. I had my team visit over recent months to prepare the way regarding the potential...