Results 4,481-4,500 of 18,593 for speaker:Michael Creed

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Livestock Issues (11 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: The definition of suckler cows used for statistical purposes is beef cows who have calved at least once in their lifetime Table 1 attached shows the number farms by county containing at least one suckler cow at the end of each year from 2010-2017.  This table also provides a national total for each of the years. Table 2 attached shows the number of suckler cows by county at the end of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Correspondence (11 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department received a letter from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in relation to price and market considerations in the context of the Beef Forum. I have arranged for a copy of the correspondence to be forwarded directly to the Deputy's Office.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fish Quotas (11 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: I can inform the Deputy that Regulation (EU) 2018/973 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2018 (the 2018 North Sea Multi Annual Plan (MAP)) repealed Council Regulation (EC) No 1342/2008 (establishing a long term plan for cod stocks) in its entirety with effect from 5thAugust 2018. The EU Commission has made a proposal for the management of demersal stocks in Western Waters...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hare Coursing (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: That is an unfortunate slur on people who support and attend hare coursing and I certainly would not concur with the Deputy. Many people involved in organising coursing do much that is positive in breeding hares and protecting the species. Hare coursing is highly regulated and stringent conditions apply, as is right and proper. It is also right and proper that these events are policed,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme Review (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: Under the current rural development regulation and subsequent amendments under the omnibus regulation, member states are required to change the approach to the designation of land under the areas of natural constraints scheme. To date, my Department had been identifying eligible areas using a range of socio-economic indicators such as family farm income, population density, percentage of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme Review (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: The Deputy will be aware that we have some form on this as we also increased the allocation in the previous year by €25 million. In allocating that, we targeted those who hold the most disadvantaged lands of the three categories. Of the €25 million, some €14 million went to the most disadvantaged category, €9 million went to the intermediate category and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme Review (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: Payments are usually made in the back end of the year, usually around the time of the ploughing championship. There are two tranches of payments, with the initial tranche made around September, and I do not expect that will change. The application process will be simultaneous with applications for basic payments. Farmers who have ANC entitlements will simply tick a box on the basic...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bovine Disease Controls (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: Under EU Directive 64/432, inconclusive animals that have passed a retest are not required to be slaughtered. Research carried out in Ireland found that such animals were 12 times more likely to be positive for TB at the next test or slaughter compared with their test-negative counterparts. As a result of that research, my Department adopted a policy in 2012 which restricted such animals to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Cashflow Support Loan Scheme (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: I confess to having been rather frustrated myself at the difficulty in progressing the matter. As the Deputy knows, the European Investment Fund Agreement Bill 2018 has concluded its passage through the Seanad and will come before the House today. It provides for the legislative framework under which the new loan fund will be delivered. A legislative basis is required because of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Cashflow Support Loan Scheme (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: I accept the Deputy's point. If we were in any doubt, the 2018 Teagasc farm income survey published this week confirms it. I acknowledge that it has been a very difficult year. However, in the context of climate-related challenges, the stakeholder group we established has worked extremely well. It includes statutory, non-statutory, voluntary and farm organisation participants. We have...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hare Coursing (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: I note the major improvements in animal welfare that have taken place in recent years. The Deputy will recall that my colleague and predecessor, Deputy Simon Coveney, brought forward major legislative reform in the form of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which replaced legislation dating back over 100 years. The Act enshrined the "five freedoms" concept and introduced mandatory...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hare Coursing (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: The Deputy will recall that the House voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to allow for the legal holding of hare coursing events, subject to certain conditions and restrictions. Our obligation is to ensure those regulations are complied with fully. Compliance with licences is a shared responsibility of my Department through veterinarian attendance and of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Supports (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: Bord Bia’s work is critical to the success of the growth of our food and drinks exports. The agrifood sector accounted for more than 11% of total goods exports from Ireland last year and, since 2009, agrifood exports have increased in value by 74%, from €7.8 billion to €13.6 billion last year. Bord Bia has played a vital role in that export success by enhancing and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Supports (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: On the final question, it has never been more important to have a blueprint for the industry. Food Wise 2025 was intended to be an identification of the major roadblocks that were holding back the industry's capacity to meet its true potential, whether in the area of research and development, human capital or whatever. The programme has been rebuilt every number of years, and we are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Brexit Supports (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: Origin Green is of significant importance because in the higher value-added markets where we want to have space on the supermarket shelves, our food suppliers are increasingly asked less about whether their food is safe, traceable, nutritious and so on but rather about antimicrobial resistance, animal welfare, climate sustainability and so forth. That is where Origin Green has come into its...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Cashflow Support Loan Scheme (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: One of my priorities is to improve access to finance for the agrifood sector. Food Wise 2025 identifies competitiveness as a key theme and includes a recommendation that stakeholders work to “improve access to finance for agriculture, forestry and seafood producers and Agri-food companies”. The future growth loan scheme is being developed by my Department and the Department...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ports Facilities (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: I appreciate those points and some of the history, which I was not familiar with, in respect of Rosslare. The infrastructure required is significant in the context of a border control post, including inspection bays and parking for trucks, dedicated areas for live animals, public offices, etc. A lot of the detailed planning is ongoing on the part of the Office of Public Works in terms of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Ports Facilities (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: I can certainly say that substantial financial provision has been made in my Department in the context of Brexit planning for infrastructure, staff, IT systems etc. It is inevitable that some of that investment will be in port infrastructure. Much of it will be through the OPW as well. I do not want to draw conclusions on what other people have said, however. The land bridge issue is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fish Quotas (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: The negotiations the Deputy refers to are those concerning the management of mackerel in the north-east Atlantic, which is Ireland’s single most important fishery. The negotiations concluded in Bergen last week after five separate rounds and the parties to the final agreement were the European Union, Norway, and the Faroe Islands. Ireland is the second largest EU quota holder and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fish Quotas (6 Dec 2018)

Michael Creed: As the Deputy is aware, the ICES advice was for a 61% cut in the total allowable catch, which would have been 318,000 tonnes, of which our share would have been substantially less than the 55,000 tonnes we have got. What has been agreed is a 20% cut but also a review of the science in early 2019. Issues have been raised with the data inputs that contribute to the formulation of the advice....