Results 41-60 of 766 for speaker:Pippa Hackett

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Beef Sector (7 Dec 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I am answering this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, ICBF, is the body approved in Ireland in accordance with the relevant EU legislation to conduct testing, genetic evaluations and publication of breeding values for dairy and beef cattle. As part of its remit, the ICBF recently updated its beef...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Beef Sector (7 Dec 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I accept there are challenges for some farmers with this. There are mitigating pieces in there that may help iron out some of the issues. Ultimately, the purpose of this and the changes in the indexes are, maybe more in the longer term, to support farmers to breed animals that are more productive and that are more profitable. In this day, profitability on farms is probably the most...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (26 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I thank Deputy Smith for the question. It is an important aspect and something many people want to understand. The Deputy will probably be aware that the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, is responsible for the reporting of emissions and removals associated with land use activities on an annual basis to the EU and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (26 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I completely agree with what the Deputy is saying. Alongside the work that is being done on hedgerows, Teagasc is also doing work on soil carbon and the effects of the losses and sequestration there. Mapping is important but I certainly believe with regard to public spaces, that is perhaps where the mapping aspect will come in. We identify those areas where there are trees in public...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (26 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I do not have to hand what collaborations are ongoing but I am sure that we wholly engage with international research, particularly within forestry. The Deputy will be aware that we have a challenge now that our forestry estate will become no longer a sink of carbon and that is one of the challenges we face going forward, which is in order to ramp up the planting of trees now in the next...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (26 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Deputy for the question. As she and maybe many Members of the House will be aware, social farming provides a planned outcome-focused support placement for people on a farm using the natural assets of the people, the place, the activities and the community to support a person to achieve some of his or her chosen goals. It has been shown to provide benefits to participants such as...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (26 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Deputy. As she outlines, social farming is continuing to grow. It certainly is growing year on year and its reach is far, and very much into the lives of many people for their enrichment and that whole connection with people. The social farming network funded by the Department is still in development. We are at a stage of growth. It requires substantial support. Certainly,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Departmental Schemes (26 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Deputies. It is clear everyone places a huge value on the role social farming plays. Indeed, I have had the opportunity to visit social farms in Kerry, Mayo and, most recently, County Laois. The last is a new social farm. It is great to see the spread and the growth. What is also great to see is the value we can place on it because we have seen it in action for a time and the...

Financial Resolutions 2023 - Financial Resolution No. 4: General (Resumed) (11 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: This is a budget focused on the environment, both in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and across Government. Since this Government took office in 2020 we have made huge strides in the organic sector. I am further backing this with funding of €57 million for organic farmers in 2024, which is more than 50% higher than the provision for organic farming in last year's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I thank the Minister and I thank the members of the committee for this invitation today. I am very keen to discuss the strategy and, most importantly, and of immediate significance, is the new forestry programme. As the Minister mentioned, it has been a very long process to arrive at a new vision, strategy and forestry programme for Ireland. It involved extensive public and stakeholder...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I will deal with those first and then we can catch up with the rest later. I thank the Chairman for his welcome of the programme. We all share the hope that the programme will deliver what it needs to deliver. While more land is now not eligible to plant, there still is a considerable amount of land that is eligible to be planted on. Farmers can engage with foresters and Teagasc...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am disappointed that the Deputy is disappointed. It is a time for a lot of optimism in forestry. We have dealt with all the issues of the past. We cleared the appeals backlog. We cleared the backlog in forestry licences. We increased resources and the functionality of the Department. We have a new programme that is ready to roll. We have a system ready to deliver and we have many...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: The original draft document came from working group 2 of Project Woodland. That was part of a process. There was a lot of engagement at that stage. The next stage of that process was engagement with further stakeholders and it ended up with engagement with the Commission. We had a very long and protracted engagement with the Commission to approve our forestry programme. The 65% the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: My understanding is that the science is quite clear on this. Planting on depths of greater than 30 cm ends up with a net leakage of carbon. This limit tips the balance in favour of a healthy growing stand of trees with carbon sequestration greater than emissions. There is a lot of literature to support this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am sure that is the case. If, when they are felled, those trees are stored in long-term products such as buildings, that is where we will get the greatest benefit. It is important to point out that the purpose and direction of travel are not only about carbon capture. They are also about biodiversity, water and the amenity value of trees for communities. There is a much broader demand...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I thank Deputy Michael Collins. As the Deputy will be aware, the climate action plan includes 8,000 ha per year. As the Deputy says, there is other evidence out there and different sectors have come up with other figures. It may well be the case that we might have to hit higher targets in years to come but at the moment we are focused on hitting the 8,000 ha per year. My Department is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: Under the climate action plan, which will be rewritten again this year - it gets rewritten every year - , the target is 8,000 ha. That is our target at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am aware of the publication. I am not saying it is incorrect. I am saying there are different calculations. Currently, based on our climate action plan, we are at 8,000 ha. As I say, it may well have to go up to meet the targets, especially if we have a slow start to this decade.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am not saying it is incorrect. I am saying the current target is 8,000 ha in our climate action plan. If we get more detailed science in that changes that, that will be amended.