Results 7,161-7,180 of 23,956 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Greyhound Industry (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for the question. The 2021 Power report found that the greyhound industry provides and supports considerable employment both directly and indirectly across the Irish economy. It is estimated that in 2019, the industry supported over 4,000 full-time and part-time jobs in the economy. In addition, there are over 6,000 active greyhound owners. The total number of people...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Greyhound Industry (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The reason that we are providing funding is that there has been a structure and support in place for the greyhound racing industry for many years now. It is particularly important to support it. It is something that we are continuing to do. The structure and the oversight of the industry is also important. The legislative underpinning of the whole sector was significantly changed and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Greyhound Industry (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The public funding goes into our racetracks and funding prize money, which helps to support and underpin the industry and the jobs in the industry. The funding also goes into welfare measures and supports the welfare of greyhounds. As the Deputy said, without the funding the greyhound racing industry would be very much undermined. I am aware the Deputy has no problem with doing away with...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Diseases (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Brendan Smith for raising this issue and for his ongoing advocacy on behalf of the farming community. I have asked that all of the work be completed as quickly as possible. The working group will meet at the end of this month and I look forward to progress being made there. Overall, we can take heart from the fact that by everyone working together in the TB forum and by...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Action Plan (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Paul Murphy for his question. As he will be aware, the Government will soon establish and publish our sectoral emission ceilings. The Climate Action Plan 2021 set out a reduction range of between 22% and 30% for the agricultural sector from an emissions baseline of 23 MT CO2 equivalent in 2018. The achievement of this target will take a whole-of-government and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Action Plan (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I know agriculture and the day-to-day lives of farm families would not occupy Deputy Paul Murphy’s daily workload or time very much. We have to consider the important role that agriculture plays in food production in this country. It is also important to know and understand that because we do not have the industrial base that other developed countries have, agriculture makes up a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Action Plan (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy likes to use the term “big agri-business” but our farm families, on which our agriculture is based, do massive work.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Action Plan (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It is Deputy Paul Murphy’s industrialised farming model. He is the only one who uses that language. We have a family farming model in this country which, frankly and thankfully, the Deputy does not really have a bull’s notion about or an understanding of. It is based on work that farm families do right across the country. People throughout the food supply chain try to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Diseases (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Brendan Smith for raising this issue. As somebody who is a strong advocate on behalf of farmers in his constituency and as a former Minister for agriculture, this is an issue he has worked on consistently over the last number of years. I too am acutely aware of the emotional and financial burden that comes with a TB breakdown for a farm family, so making significant progress...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Animal Diseases (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I recently met with the TB forum. The next meeting of the financial working group is on 21 July. That will be attended by officials from my Department and representatives of the farming organisations. The group has held five meetings this year so I look forward to it completing its work. It was the TB forum that was set up 16 months ago and it has a number of working groups under it. It...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Farm Costs (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As Deputy Griffin knows, these issues and challenges have been very much on the Government's mind in recent months, both at an Executive level and also among our parliamentary party members. It is something on which the Deputy has also engaged very closely with the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, and me, and we will continue that engagement. The measures introduced in recent months...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Farm Costs (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Deputy Griffin is absolutely right. Farmers are normal citizens with the same normal everyday pressures on their families that every other family has outside of their daily working lives. Obviously, there are particular pressures in terms of their work life and cost pressures, on which the Government is supporting them with as best it can. Likewise, there is a real pressure arising from...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Since the publication of the report of the seafood task force in October 2021, Navigating Change, I have announced a number of support schemes for our fishing fleet and wider seafood sector and coastal communities. Between October and December 2021, a Brexit temporary fleet tie-up scheme made available supports of between €4,600 and €88,700 per month, depending on vessel size,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I would not say it is unprecedented for the fishing organisations to come together to speak on the same issue and deliver the same message. The challenge relating to fuel is one we have been dealing with for some months since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I previously met all those organisations together to discuss this issue. Their request to me in March and April was for a second...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Fishing Industry (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As I said, it is not unprecedented because representatives of all those same organisations met me in March and April to discuss exactly the same challenges, and their proposal and ask of me then was for a second month of the tie-up scheme, which I delivered on. Such a scheme is not in place in other countries that have been impacted by Brexit, although without doubt they have been impacted...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Farm Costs (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for his engagement and for his advocacy on behalf of farm families over these challenging months. The input price challenge facing our farm families is something we are both very much aware of, as is the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon. Over the past year, significant price rises have occurred, primarily in the energy sector, with natural gas and oil prices reaching...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Supports (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As I said in my response, we are looking at that in great detail. The criteria for qualifying for the Brexit adjustment reserve are very specific. One has to show the direct impact. Thankfully, agri-food has done well since Brexit, in particular our trade with the UK. We are looking at any potential options. In terms of any content the Deputy might have or particular suggestions, it...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Supports (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: That is what my Department is looking at in great detail, because we want to support the agri-food sector in every way we can. As Deputy Carthy is aware, in terms of the immediate cost pressures, I have provided a €56 million fodder support scheme, which delivers €1,000 to each family farm in the country up to 10 ha, directly to support the sector and farm families to deal...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Supports (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is currently in discussion with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform about the potential for further support measures for the agrifood and fisheries sectors to address negative impacts from Brexit. The Brexit Adjustment Reserve has strict criteria that must be met to qualify for funding. In particular any proposed measures must address the direct negative impacts...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Supports (14 Jul 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Brexit posed a massive challenge to our economy across the board. As the UK is the main destination for our agrifood exports, the risk factor there was massive. The fact that there was a trade and co-operation agreement mitigated some of the worst fears we had in regard to tariff barriers and other issues. Thankfully, since Brexit, trade with the UK has been very strong, as have prices and...