Results 6,781-6,800 of 24,065 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (26 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is the lead in relation to the Nature Restoration Law. The proposed Nature Restoration Law is a key element of the EU Biodiversity Strategy which calls for binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems. Across Europe there has been widespread decline in biodiversity with many habitats in poor condition. The proposed...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports (26 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: This Government supports the live export of animals as it is an important feature of normal activity in Ireland's agri food sector. My Department facilitates this trade, in line with existing legislation on the protection of animal welfare, recognising its critical importance to the Agri- Food sector, while ensuring that live animal exports are carried out in compliance with legislative...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports (26 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine only permits animals to be transported in compliance with the EU's animal welfare legislation. Ireland has also introduced its own national legislation regulating animal welfare in dedicated livestock vessels, which lays down more stringent controls that go far beyond those in EU law. Furthermore, over the past three years, my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (26 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: There are a wide variety of items available under the suite of seven measures under TAMS. Fertiliser Spreaders are grant aided under the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme, Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme and the Animal Welfare Nutrient and Storage Scheme of TAMSII. To date, total expenditure under the seven measures of TAMS, including transitional expenditure, has exceeded...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (26 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 202 and 203 together. The Dairy Beef Welfare scheme as part of the new CSP has an annual budget of €5 million and enhances the integration between the dairy and beef systems by improving the value of the dairy beef calf to the beef farmer, and improving the welfare of the calf, by supporting the use of high DBI (dairy beef index) sires in the production...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Wastewater Treatment (26 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Government recognises the importance of investment in waste water infrastructure which will deliver significant improvements in our waste water services throughout the country, including rural Ireland, and support a range of programmes delivering improved water quality in rivers, lakes and in the marine area. The EPA report referred to by the Deputy recognises that progress is being made...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (26 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy may already be aware, under their new forestry strategic vision, Coillte aims to grow 100,000 hectares of new forests by 2050 but are also committing to managing its existing forest estate to capture an additional 10 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050, including through the redesigning of poorly productive peatlands. My Department's letter to DG Environment, dated 24 November...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (26 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Coillte is a private limited company established under the Forestry Act 1988 and is operationally independent from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I have referred the matter to Coillte for direct follow-up with the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I have put money on the table, with the €12 million to fund the additional month of the scheme, which the sector specifically requested of me to address the fuel crisis and the challenges in that regard. I accessed that from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve fund, because that is bringing fresh funding into the fishing sector, rather than take it out of the EMFF, which is already in the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As I said, I have put €12 million into this scheme, which has been running from June and will continue to the end of November and which was sought from me by fishing representatives. It has been welcomed by those who have availed of it and it has been important to them. I am now reassessing that situation. It is important from a food security point of view that fishing is happening,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Animal Diseases (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: There is no doubt that it is farm families that suffer the consequences of a TB outbreak. That is very damaging from a financial point of view. There is a significant contribution for farmers on an ongoing basis in regard to the testing regime. It is important that everybody works together in a spirit of partnership. That is why the work is done in a TB forum. I recognise the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The seafood task force, which included representatives of the five fisheries producer organisations and the four main fisheries co-operatives, recommended in its October 2021 report that a voluntary decommissioning scheme should be implemented to help restore balance between fishing fleet capacity and available quotas, following the reductions in quotas for stocks arising from the Brexit...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy states, I welcomed the approval that I had sought. I brought all of the representatives of fishers across the country together into a task force to advise me how to support the sector. As part of the report, they unanimously sought a voluntary decommissioning scheme and I then sought approval for that. I welcomed the fact that I got approval for the scheme. As we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It is a fair feat to be able to hold two positions at the one time, even in the one contribution. In one sentence, Deputy Collins says he is against the scheme, and then in the next sentence he is looking for more money.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: In the following sentence, Deputy Collins was looking for more money for that very same scheme.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, along with all the other fishing organisations was part of the seafood task force, which unanimously recommended that there should be a decommissioning scheme. I am following through on that request. I am also following through in the many efforts I am making at European level to try to improve our quota position. There has been some...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: We discussed this issue at length a few hours ago at the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Deputy Mac Lochlainn is correct. I have been working closely and listening to the fishing representatives on this issue for a long time. I met with them shortly after the illegal invasion of Ukraine to discuss this issue. They requested specifically of me that I would do a second...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I would not agree. I outlined in my initial response the activity that has been ongoing for a significant period, or since 2014, regarding carbon assessments, on-farm navigators that have been developed and carbon-footprint calculations that have been done in this regard. I agree with the Deputy that it will be really important for farmers to have an income stream from the sequestration of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The research, science and measurement tools will be really important. We are doing a lot of work in that regard. Other member states and other countries across the world are putting a lot of effort into this also. Getting the measuring tools right and accurate represents an important starting point. The infrastructure that needs to be put in place to allow for carbon to be traded and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Animal Diseases (25 Oct 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy. I am very much aware of the acute stress caused by a TB breakdown on a farm, and I am committed to driving down TB rates. Everyone in the industry is single-minded in their ambition to reduce the incidence of TB. As a result of EU Animal Health Law Regulation 2016/429, new requirements concerning TB testing have been introduced. These regulations came into effect in...