Results 4,101-4,120 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Preparations (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: Officials from my Department are currently working on a submission that will be sent to the European Commission to facilitate the listing of Rosslare Port as a border inspection post in the relevant European legislation. Rosslare Port will be listed for the importation of animal products and live animals. This submission comes as a result of the work that my Department has been...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: The new legislative proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy 2021 - 2027 were launched on Friday 1 June 2018 by Commissioner Hogan. The proposals outline a greater environmental ambition post 2020 and recognise the role the agriculture sector has to play in helping Member States achieve their environmental and climate change targets. The new CAP reform proposals require Member States to...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: Government policy on forestry is to increase species diversity by means of targeted supports and measures within the nationally funded afforestation programme. The current programme expires at the end of 2020. Publicly funded afforestation has been a central part of Government policy for many years now given the many benefits which forestry presents, not least for our rural economy and for...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Subsidies (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: At the outset, I would like to point out that in discussing the funding of the Common Agricultural Policy, we should bear in mind that this funding forms part of a broader EU budget which is negotiated by Finance Ministers and then agreed by Heads of State and Government at the European Council. The European Commission has proposed, as part of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: In 2018 live exports of cattle increased by over 30% to 246,000 head compared to the previous year. My Department continues to seek out new markets for live exports and to facilitate this trade by reaching agreement on health certification. In November my Department reached agreement with Libya on a new veterinary health certificate for the export of breeding cattle, and an amended...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Supports (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: The €300 million Brexit Loan Scheme was developed in cooperation with the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) and the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland (SBCI), to provide working capital support to enable eligible Irish businesses to implement the necessary changes to address the challenges posed by Brexit. The Scheme opened for applications on 28 March 2018...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Beef Environmental Efficiency Scheme Pilot (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: I launched the Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot on 30 January. The launch was covered in the agriculture media.Applications for participation in the pilot will be accepted from 4th to 22nd of February. The Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot (BEEP) is a targeted support for suckler farmers and is specifically aimed at further improving the economic and environmental efficiency of beef...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Subsidies (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: The EU proposed CAP budgetary ceilings are a part of the wider proposals on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the European Union for the period 2021-2027. The proposals are ultimately a matter for agreement between Ministers for Finance and Heads of State. The European Commission has proposed, as part of the MFF, that funding for the Common Agricultural Policy should not exceed...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Clean Oceans Initiative (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: I launched the Clean Oceans Initiative in January at the fishing port of Union Hall in West Cork. This exciting project aims to tackle the threat of plastic pollution in our marine environment by encouraging Irish trawlers to collect marine litter while at sea. Approximately 80% of marine debris is made up of plastics which do not biodegrade, but rather break up into tiny particulates. This...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agrifood Sector (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: Agri-food products placed on the Single Market must comply with the same EU standards, whether they are produced within the EU itself, or are imported from non-EU countries. The importation of Agri-food products into the European Union is governed by a comprehensive and robust legislative framework laid down at EU level, controlled by Member States in the first instance, and audited by the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Climate Change Policy (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: The Teagasc report “An Analysis of Abatement Potential of greenhouse Gas Emissions in Irish Agriculture 2021-2030”, published last summer, highlights the potential for GHG abatement to limit the emissions from the sector over the period 2021 to 2030 based on current scientific knowledge against the likely level of future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if no action is taken....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Industry Development (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: The pursuit and development of new markets for Irish agri-food exports is an ongoing and central component of the strategic development of the agri-food sector, as evidenced by its placement right at the centre of Food Wise 2025, the industry’s strategy for development over the coming years. Indeed, this is all the more relevant after the UK’s decision to leave the EU, which...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Labour Court Recommendations (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: Following the Labour Court ruling regarding exemptions for stable staff to the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, I was made aware of the deep concern that existed in the horseracing industry arising from this ruling and its potential for significant impact on the sector, particularly for smaller operators. As part of the legislation governing employment in this area falls within...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Public Procurement Contracts (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: Under the current draft CAP 2021-2027 proposals, each Member State is required to submit a CAP Strategic Plan by the 1st of January 2020. The process of developing the draft CAP Strategic Plan will be a complex one, involving a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis, a needs assessment, scheme design, an ex ante evaluation including a Strategic Environmental...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Supports (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: Bord Bia’s work is critical to the success of the growth of our food and drinks exports. Despite the challenges our industry has faced, Irish agri-food exports have shown great resilience and are estimated at €13.6 billion in total in 2018, including €12.1 billion in food and drink exports, which is 64% higher than comparative figures for 2010. Bord Bia has played...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fisheries Protection (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: The matter the Deputy refers to is my announcement in December, following an extensive public consultation process, that vessels over 18m will be excluded from trawling in inshore waters inside the six nautical mile zone and the baselines from 1 January 2020. Trawling for sprat by vessels over 18m will be phased out by 31 December 2021. Based on my assessment, I considered that there was...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Common Agricultural Policy Reform (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: The new regulations for the CAP 2021-27 were launched on Friday 1 June 2018 by Commissioner Hogan. The proposals, as drafted, involve significant changes, including in relation to governance, the distribution of direct payments among farmers and the increasing environmental conditionality attaching to such payments. Consideration of the CAP proposals is ongoing at EU level. Since the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Animal Welfare (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: My Department implements stringent system of controls on the welfare of animals being exported, in particular through a comprehensive legislative framework relating to the transport of animals by sea (The Carriage of Livestock by Sea Regulations 2016 (S.I. 356 of 2016). Ships must be approved by my Department in advance of exporting cattle from Ireland. Cattle being exported are monitored...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Preparations (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: The agrifood sector is of critical importance to the Irish economy, and its regional spread means it underpins the socio-economic development of rural areas in particular. As such, Brexit has the potential to have a very significant impact on farmers and on the agrifood sector throughout Ireland, including farmers in the border counties. I have been addressing the immediate Brexit...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Preparations (6 Feb 2019)

Michael Creed: I have been addressing the immediate Brexit challenges through a range of Budgetary measures aimed at improving competitiveness, and developing market and product diversification. These measures include a €150m low-cost loan scheme in 2017 to help reduce farm-gate business costs, and a dedicated €50m Brexit package in Budget 2018 which included further additional funding to Bord...