Results 521-540 of 23,905 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Official Engagements (1 Oct 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I wish to inform the Deputy that neither I, nor any Minister of State in my Department, have had contact with any Minister or official in the government of Israel since January 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Consultations (1 Oct 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I wish to advise the Deputy that the information requested for 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024 is set out in the table below. Year Name of company Subject matter Cost€ 2023 Healy Communications Training for the then CEO-designate for An Rialálaí Agraibhia (The Agri-Food Regulator) 738.00 ...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Nitrates Usage (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: No, I certainly do not agree. If the Deputy had spent a bit more time analysing and assessing this and informing himself of this issue, he would not be making those assertions across the floor of the Dáil. No matter the issue he is addressing, it is always Deputy Murphy's approach to paint life as a competition between oligarchs and the wider population. He is trying to do the same...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Nitrates Usage (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Again, Deputy Murphy is bending over backwards to present this in his favoured manner of oligarchs against the rest of the world. As I said to him, we have approximately 17,000 dairy farmers. Among those 17,000, the average number of cows is about 90. Of those 17,000 dairy farmers, about 40% farm in derogation. The average income across those 17,000 was €49,000.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Nitrates Usage (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I expect it would be the same or very close to it. The average number of cows is 90. It is really important for those farmers, particularly those whose viability and capacity to continue into the future depend on that derogation, that we maintain it. As I have said, we are very confident that we can do that, looking to improve our water quality while supporting those farmers. Any removal...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Nitrates Usage (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The dairy sector in this country is based on the co-op structure. Given the socialist utopia Deputy Murphy is looking for, I would have thought he would be a bit more supportive of the sector given that it is farmers co-operating for the benefit of farmers. If he was to spend a bit more time meeting a few farmers or listening, looking and interrogating the statistics rather than trying to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fisheries Protection (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy pointed out, I held a public consultation on the review of trawling activity inside the six-nautical-mile zone and the baselines. The consultation took place over eight weeks and closed on 12 April. The purpose of this consultation was to invite stakeholders and interested parties to advise me of their views on any changes to policy within the scope of the review. A large...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fisheries Protection (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I am addressing this urgently. As we know, the outcome of the High Court proceedings only came in the second half of last year. I then commenced the process of formulating the new public consultation process as promptly as I could and it opened in April 2024. I want to see this progressed as quickly as possible. We have to be very conscious that we do things in a sure-footed way that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fisheries Protection (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I would not want the impression to be given that I have not stepped this out in a prompt fashion. I have done so and am very committed to it. It was not possible for me to take any action until I got the final ruling from the High Court, which was delivered in the second half of last year. It had been in the court system from 2018 until then. I now want to continue as promptly as I can...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: There are a number of issues that have to be worked through in cases where people have not been paid yet. As we discussed with Deputy Crowe earlier there are probate issues, for example, which every year hold up a number of payments. The team is working through it with the objective of getting it up to 95% and, as I said previously, 82% had received their full payment at the end of last...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: With regard to querying scores, the facility is in place for engaging with the local CP teams and having it assessed. On the wider point in respect of payments, we have worked hard to make sure farmers could get payments. Obviously, the objective was to ensure everybody got their 85% advance but in the absence of that we made the interim payment. I accept the point Deputy Wynne is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: We have issued 35,000 scorecards so far. It is important farmers get that so they can look to improve their scores in future years. Farmers do not know how they will score until they get the scorecard. That is a change from previous schemes. The average payments of €5,200 for the co-operation and €5,100 for the general are on track and where we expected them to be, but there...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Probate is always an issue and will always, unfortunately, hold up a payment. Probate has to be completed because there has to be legal certainty as to who the payment is made to after a death. That can always be challenged during the probate process so the Department has to have that certainty. That is an issue we cannot resolve but will try to work through, being as supportive as we...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The score informs the payment. Where a farmer gets the full payment, it is based on the score and only occurs when the score is finalised. On giving farmers approval for NPIs, every farmer in the co-operation scheme has €17,500 available to spend over the course of ACRES to take steps which will see improvements in the scores at farm level. That €17,500 is still available to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Agriculture Schemes (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy. We have discussed it in a fair bit of detail. In terms of uptake, we have had 55,000 farmers apply. The Government has intervened to make sure every farmer who applied got approval and was taken into it when they applied. We had 46,000 applications in tranche 1. We had projected that 30,000 would apply but we intervened to accept all 46,000 applications. About 10,000...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: Pending the registrations and preparations being put in place, the plan is that we will see the first intake of students in the south east, at Waterford and Kildalton, in September 2026, just under two years away. The recruitment and the scaling up of the accommodation and infrastructure that need to be put in place will happen between now and then, although that is not far away. From that...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Further and Higher Education (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: I have no doubt that South East Technological University and Kildalton will make all of the information known and it will become part of the course options available to young students as they complete their leaving certificate. It is an exciting opportunity and it is great to see it happening in a local area. It is prohibitively expensive for young people to go abroad to pursue their...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: The value of Ireland’s food, drink and horticulture exports was almost €16.3 billion last year. Agri-food products emanate from every county in the country and we are now exporting to 180 markets and countries around the globe. The fact that our agri-food products are sought after worldwide is a testament to the high standards that apply and the good reputation that Ireland...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: That is critical. I thank the Deputy for putting this on the agenda of the Dáil today. Auditing and regular day-to-day oversight and inspection are crucial to confidence in our food sector. Anywhere where something is identified that is not compliant, it is immediately followed up and taken very seriously. We have put significant staffing resources into this, as well as robust checks...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Safety (26 Sep 2024)

Charlie McConalogue: On the first question concerning an issue that arose many years ago, I am absolutely satisfied that the systems and checks in place are sufficiently robust to ensure the integrity of the food system is overseen and there are checks and balances. This country has an exceptional food traceability system for livestock from birth to slaughter, and the product can be traced right back to the...