Results 541-560 of 2,691 for speaker:Tim Lombard

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: We will now hear from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on COM (2023) 416. I welcome both witnesses. I will start by reading the note on privilege. Witnesses giving evidence from within the parliamentary precincts are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. This means that a witness has full defence against any defamation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Can we go around to more contributors? I will then come back to Deputy Fitzmaurice.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: I have a few questions of my own and maybe other members will arrive after the vote in the Dáil. I compliment the witnesses on the presentation they gave. This matter was sent to the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action, which is the lead committee in this regard. Is the Department of agriculture the lead negotiator on this issue with the Commission? Are Mr. Medlycott...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: How many are involved in the team dealing with this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: A fear we have is when there are multiple Departments involved in a legislative proposal. We had the water framework directive, which started in 1991 and was led by the Department of Housing. It had a huge impact on the agriculture industry through the nitrates action plan. There is, therefore, a fear for committees like ours and the communities we represent about having multiple...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: In that case, Mr. Ryan might explain to me his comment regarding the single farm payment and how those practices are affected. I am trying to work out what implications this will have for the individual farmer. If we are taking an entire district into consideration, are we going to have individual farms judged based on the district and how they need to change farming practices or how is it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: I appreciate that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Some of this will come down to the member state as well and how it implements the regulation. Have the officials thought about who will be taking the samples and what body will be responsible for the taking of samples? Are they looking at Teagasc, the EPA, the Department of the environment or their own Department? What entity do they believe will be making that report to the Commission?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Deputy Fitzmaurice and I, as well as two other members, were with the European Commissioner last September. One of the criticisms he had was that there were multiple reports coming back regarding the water framework directive. The Commissioner said it was unclear what the Government was looking for because there were two Departments, Teagasc and the EPA all rowing in with their view. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: I take it the sampling regime being proposed will take in the entire land mass of Ireland, so we will be looking at all the agricultural land, our islands to some degree and also our urban centres.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Can the officials give me an indication of what has been proposed in our urban centres regarding quality of soil? If we look at where we are with our issues regarding our urban settings at times, trying to ensure we reach the standard could be an issue. We could put a plan in place for agricultural settings but with urban centres, I would be concerned about the contamination in that soil...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Are the officials worried we could sign up for the directive and our urban centres could be the sting in the tail when it comes to trying to ensure we qualify as having good soil quality? Have there been any negotiations at a European level regarding the officials' engagement so far? Our urban centres are quite moderate in size in a European context. I am sure other countries will have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Mr. Ryan said we are at the starting point of this negotiation. There is a European election happening and in the next four or five months a new Commission President and definitely new Commissioners. If they have it, will the officials outline the pathway for this proposal going forward, taking into consideration the changes to the political landscape that could change in the next few months?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: That is kind of where I am going and it is probably my ignorance of the actual process. If it is not completed by May, does it go back to the start of the process again or where does it go? Do the conversations and negotiations Mr. Medlycott is talking about begin again in September at the same level?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: From our point of view, when the Dáil is dissolved whenever it is going to be dissolved in the next few months, whatever legislation and committee hearings are set will just fall and it is up to the new Dáil to start proceedings at the start again. It does not matter what level we are at regarding negotiations, we go back to the start and the clock starts again. That is my point....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Okay. I just was not aware. Deputy Fitzmaurice wants to come back in again.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Is the Deputy proposing to make up the parliament for Europe?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: I apologise, gentlemen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Just before we finish up, because I realise we will be running over time, can I ask a few questions? In the fourth paragraph of the opening statement, it is mentioned that the EU Commission estimate that more than 60% of European soils are unhealthy. Where did it come up with that data from? Has it started a process of testing soils and if so, where does Ireland fit into that? Are we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (24 Jan 2024)

Tim Lombard: Where is Ireland so?