Results 7,481-7,500 of 11,413 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: In the case of a no deal on veterinary alignment, my understanding is that every consignment would then require the presence of a departmental vet. As the Minister will know, many larger companies operate 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Does the Department have the staff and resources in its allocation to meet those requirements?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: On Brexit, I am sure the Minister has been made aware that his counterpart in the Northern Executive, Edwin Poots, has ordered a halt to Brexit agrifood checks at Northern ports from midnight. Does that concern the Minister? Does he have a view on the implications that will have for the agrifood sector?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: It in the context of the Estimates that I ask my question.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: The decision will have implications for the resources we put in place for these inspections.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: I know TB has been dealt with extensively. EU funding for this area has reduced on a year-on-year basis. The Minister mentioned that our test results last year pointed in the right direction for the first time in a number of years. Will that have an impact on EU funding? Will we be able draw down funds or will the Minister make the case to draw down additional income supports from the EU...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: Does the Minister know what the EU funding for this programme will be for 2022?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: On the phytosanitary regime in place and our preparedness for it, we have discussed the issue of seed potatoes and the difficulty with non-alignment at present. Is that conversation regarding potential alignment with Britain over? Are discussions ongoing?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: Therein lies the issue-----

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: It needs to be industry led, if it is going to be successful. Will the Minister or his Department provide guarantees that if those within the sector invest in developing seed potatoes for the domestic market, they will not be undercut if an EU-UK deal transpires, our market will not become flooded and people's investment will not be rendered useless? There is that genuine concern. If we...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: On programme B, I will not repeat everything that has been said regarding forestry. We have had plenty of discussions on this matter. What is the current licence backlog? Does the Minister have that figure for us?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: The figure I have is 5,000 in early November. The trajectory is going in the right direction, but I am sure the Minister will agree that the reduction is not steep enough just yet. In relation to that-----

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: It is a reduction of 300 since November. The Minister mentioned a number of times that the take-up rate for afforestation licences, that is, the actual implementation from receiving a licence to planting, is approximately 60%. It appears to be spectacularly low in that people go to the effort of securing a licence, and the afforestation process is not an easy one to go through, but then do...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: Direct contact is being made with those farmers who have not-----

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: In addition to making contact with the landowners involved, which is welcome and important ongoing work, we should also audit and carry out extensive research into why those with planting licences are not planting. As the Minister said, the level of work, cost and man-hours involved is substantial so we should not allow that to go to waste in the case of 40% of the licences issued when there...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: I have a number of other points which I wish to raise but I will allow others to contribute if they wish to do so.

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: On programme C, the allocation to Teagasc has been more or less static for the past number of years. Considering the reliance which so many sectors have on Teagasc-led research, is the Minister satisfied that its budget is sufficient to do all that we have been asking it to do? In every sector we discuss at this committee, we refer to the need to Teagasc to carry out some work. Is its...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: I thank the Minister for his reply. On subhead C10, the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, SBCI, loan scheme, reads as a decrease from €18.7 million to €13.2 million. Is that new money or is it the case that when money is repaid, it goes back into the pot? In other words, can it be re-loaned or is this an actual decrease in the money available?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: My understanding is that the money that is allocated for agricultural programmes is almost 100% utilised, which is obviously positive. What I am trying to get at here is an understanding of whether, when farmers are repaying their loans, that funding comes back for reissuing or is that the end of funding in the scheme and we then rely on whatever the headline figure is on subhead C10?

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: My apologies; I am probably not explaining myself properly. Last year, in the 2021 Estimate figure, some €18.7 million was available under these loans. Assuming they were all drawn down, farmers would have been repaying that money. When that money is repaid to the banks, does it become available to be reissued under the same scheme or are new farmers who apply relying wholly on the...

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (Revised) (2 Feb 2022)

Matt Carthy: I will move on to programme D, for which the allocation increased by €30 million or thereabouts. Does that increase include the €25 million announced for Rossaveal Harbour? With Deputy Mairéad Farrell, I have met campaigners in the area a number of times, so I welcome that funding. For clarification, will that funding come out of the budget allocation before us?