Results 4,081-4,100 of 7,670 for speaker:Jackie Cahill

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: Before we begin, I remind members that in the context of current Covid-19 restrictions, only the Chair and staff are present in the committee room. All members must join remotely from elsewhere within the parliamentary precincts. The secretariat can issue invitations during the meeting on Microsoft Teams. Members may not participate in the meeting from outside of the parliamentary...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: I call on Mr. Padraig Brennan to respond first.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: It was raised with us last week that there is only one main buyer for organic beef. Does Mr. Brennan see that as a real issue with regard to getting a competitive price for organic beef?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: I ask that Mr. Brennan keep his answers as short as he can as a number of other members want to ask questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: Mr. Brennan said three out of every four lambs are falling out of the system, which is a frightening figure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: I thank the witnesses very much. We have gone over time, which shows the interest the committee has in organics and in the role it has to play in dealing with the challenge of climate change and reducing our emissions. I propose that we suspend the meeting for two minutes to allow the other witnesses to take their seats.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: I apologise to the departmental officials. The last session ran over time. It really illustrates the interest people have in organic farming and the role it can play in facing up to the challenges of climate change and reducing the country's emissions from commercial farming. For this second session of the meeting, I welcome the following officials from the Department of Agriculture,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: Yes, we can hear Mr. Hayes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: Yes. Mr. Hayes may work away.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: It sounds better now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: I asked a question of Bord Bia and did not get an answer. Do the witnesses see the fact that we have only one purchaser of organic beef in the country as a serious disadvantage? We were told that a premium of only 12% is being paid on organic beef at the moment compared with commercial beef. Do the witnesses think that is a result of only having one buyer of organic beef in the country?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: We will move on as a number of members wish to ask questions. I call Deputy Fitzmaurice.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: If so many bales of straw are chopped, the price of straw will increase. Especially in a year in which we get a weather event, it will make it very difficult for organic farmers who have to have 50% straw bedding. I will take two members together so we can try to get through all the questions. I call Senators Paul Daly and Boyhan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: I call Mr. Hayes to respond to Senator Daly's and Deputy Leddin's questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: On behalf of the committee, I thank the officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for engaging with us today on the topic of organic farming. We have had two sessions thus far on this matter. There is a significant amount of work to be done to up the percentage of land we have in organic farming use. As I said in a previous session, it has a significant and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: Could Mr. Hayes move his microphone a bit? There is a bit of an echo. Moving the microphone might help.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: I call Senator Boyhan. As he is not available, I call Deputy Leddin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: I would almost presume that the vast majority of stock on commonage, especially where it is populated with sheep, would be all organic. That should be rectified because there could not be anything more organic than animals grazing on commonage.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: I have raised the issue of resources for mental health clinics in north Tipperary a number of times. We have three mental health clinics in north Tipperary, including Thurles, Nenagh and Roscrea. General practitioners have contacted me this week who are extremely frustrated about the lack of resources there. Two consultants are assigned to them but retaining those consultants is virtually...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2021)

Jackie Cahill: This is an extremely important piece of legislation. As we are discussing this tonight, 160 million people in the world are starving in famine conditions. As we speak, 2 billion people in the world tonight do not have an adequate diet. While we have to, therefore, recognise that as a country we must face up to climate change and reduce our emissions, we also must accept that we have a...