Results 361-380 of 3,570 for speaker:Martin Heydon

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Programmes (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) was rolled out in phases due to the high participation levels and the wide array of opportunities offered by the scheme, all of which required the creation of new and extensive IT systems. Additionally, there was no delay between the end of GLAS and the start of ACRES, meaning IT development had to take place while the scheme was operational....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: All payment claims under the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) are made using the online Agfood system. Investments must be completed, payment claims submitted and relevant documents uploaded within one year of approval date, unless an extension has been granted, as outlined in the terms and conditions of the Scheme. An application for an extension can be submitted in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Funding (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The selection of cases for inspection under the TAMS Scheme occurs through a combination of risk analysis and random selection. A total of 5% of cases are pre-selected at both pre-approval stage and payment claim stage. Of these pre-selected cases, 30% of the monetary value of these cases are randomly selected and the remaining cases are selected based on risk analysis. The risk analysis...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Funding (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department ensures that decisions and payments are made within the deadlines as agreed under the Department's Farmers' Charter of Rights 2023 -2027. In the event of a payment claim inspection being required, my Department issues a letter within 20 working days of the date of inspection, setting out the nature of the query and the likely consequences if not resolved. Supervisory...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Staff (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department is committed to ensuring that a skilled and motivated workforce is in place to meet its priority business needs. To achieve this, workforce planning is utilised in identifying and addressing the needs for all our locations. My Department maintains a presence at Shannon Airport with the table below providing further details of staffing based in Shannon Airport in February 2022...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The person named submitted an application under the ACRES General stream and was approved into Tranche 1 of the scheme, with a commencement date of 1st January 2023. All payments in respect of scheme year 2023 have been paid. I can confirm that the 2024 advance payment claim associated with this herd issued on 28th February 2025, in the sum of €6,214.35. All ACRES payments are now...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Funding (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The EU Solidarity Fund was established by the European Union to respond to major natural disasters and major public health emergencies. For the purposes of the Fund, a major natural disaster is defined as one that results in direct damage in a Member State estimated either at over €3bn in 2011 prices or more than 0.6% of Gross National Income (GNI). An application may also be...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Funding (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 566, 567 and 589 together. Storm Éowyn has resulted in significant damage to protected structures in the horticulture sector and to sheds on farms. Following Storm Éowyn, I announced a targeted re-opening of the 2025 Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector to deal only with growers proposing...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: As part of Budget 2025 my Department secured an allocation of €5 million for 2025 to support the group of farmers commonly referred to as forgotten farmers. Work is ongoing to address a number of remaining issues, before the details of the eligibility requirements and benefits to successful applicants under any scheme can be finalised. I am committed to delivering for these...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Legislative Measures (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: The recent storms have resulted in considerable hardship throughout the country. We are taking all possible steps to facilitate an appropriate response to allow forest owners to clear blown trees in a safe and sustainable manner. As regards forestry and powerlines, the legislative provisions reside in section 98 of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1927, as amended by Section 45 of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: My Department provides a range of financial supports that focus on compensating farmers for both direct and indirect losses incurred as a result of a TB breakdown on the farm. The On Farm Market Valuation Scheme is the principal compensation measure available to Herd-owners whose herds are affected by a bovine TB breakdown in their herd. The Scheme aims to compensate farmers up to the open...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: Reflecting their importance to the rural economy, there will be two dedicated supports for sheep farmers in operation again this year. In addition to the CSP Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS), which is worth some €20 million annually to sheep farmers, a sum of €22 million was allocated for the continuation and expansion of the National Sheep Welfare Scheme (NSWS) measures in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: European Union (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: I welcome the publication of “A Vision for Agriculture and Food” by the European Commission on 19 February. I am pleased that the Vision underlines the strategic importance of the agri-food sector; and the contribution the sector makes to the EU priorities of competitiveness, innovation, and rural development; as well as being essential to the EU’s climate action and...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Regulations (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: GAEC 2 is a mandatory condition of the payment of the Basic Income Support for Farmers (BISS). It is intended to protect peatlands and wetlands. The EU Regulation governing the CAP Strategic Plans requires all Member States to have a standard in place from the start of this year at the latest. I have no powers, statutory or otherwise, to defer the application of this requirement. If...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Data (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 574 and 575 together. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a challenging disease to control and eradicate. I am committed to making real progress in eradicating TB because I am acutely aware of the emotional and financial trauma associated with a TB breakdown for farmers. Provisional figures show that a total of 6,254 herds were restricted in 2024 - note this...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Data (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: ACRES is the first scheme of its kind to upscale results-based payments to a national level. This is a significant change in implementing such an innovative and ambitious scheme, and it has come with complexities and challenges. To date, more than €436 million has been paid out to farmers to date in respect of their participation in ACRES. In respect of advance payments scheduled...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 577 and 588 together. The Native Tree Area Scheme was introduced to facilitate small-scale tree planting and does not require an afforestation licence, therefore does not go through the licensing procedure. Strict conditions for eligibility to the Scheme do however exist to ensure sufficient safeguards are in place and to prevent any negative impact on...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pesticide Use (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: Plant protection products (PPPs) containing neonicotinoid active substances which have not been approved by the EU are excluded from the Irish register of authorised pesticides and cannot be placed on the market or used in Ireland. There were no exemptions on the sale or use of these products issued in Ireland in 2024. My Department implements an annual risk based control plan on the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Data (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) is a commercial state body established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, and is responsible for the overall administration, promotion and development of the horse racing industry. Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Schemes (4 Mar 2025)

Martin Heydon: In response to the damage that resulted from Storm Éowyn to the Irish horticulture sector I, together with my colleague Michael Healy-Rae T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for Horticulture, recently announced a targeted reopening of the Scheme of Investment Aid for the Development of the Commercial Horticulture Sector. The targeted reopening of the 2025 Scheme of...