Results 7,681-7,700 of 23,950 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Farm Costs (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Pardon me.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Farm Costs (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I apologise to Deputy Tóibín. The current situation around the cost and availability of farm inputs remains a significant concern. The impact the invasion of Ukraine is having on our farm families has been the number one priority the Department in recent months. It will continue to be prioritised. Fertiliser prices have increased significantly over the past 12 months and,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Farm Costs (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: That is the objective behind the fodder support scheme I have introduced, which is paying €100 per hectare, up to a maximum of €1,000 for 10 ha. That is intended to support farmers with the cost challenges involved in growing silage and saving hay this year. We, as a Government, very much recognise the difficulties at this time. The cost of fertiliser, in particular, has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: There is great potential for the use of feed additives to reduce methane. Seaweed is one of the options that can deliver on that. Other products are also coming on the market. Teagasc has carried out tests to assess how that would work in an Irish situation. The assessment suggests it can deliver a reduction of approximately 30% in methane, which is quite exciting and offers considerable...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I know the Deputy has been advocating for farmers to maximise the potential to produce energy in the years ahead as has the Government. Regarding the joined-up thinking that will be required to drive progress on this, we are engaged on a cross-Department basis to ensure the systems talk to one another so that it ultimately works at farm level. We need to support farmers to put the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Common Agricultural Policy (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It has always been my policy to conform to the highest standards when it comes to stakeholder and public consultation. I believe farmer engagement, through farm organisations as well as directly with farmers in my tour of the mart network last year, was really important in framing this CAP programme and the CAP strategic plan I submitted to Brussels. This has been the case in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Common Agricultural Policy (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: We put a massive effort into engaging and consulting. We never previously had such extensive consultation. There were many different views and I believe we reached a balanced and strong CAP plan. The mart meetings were very important. It had not been finalised at that stage; it fed into the finalisation of it. I visited 26 counties as part of that. We had a great engagement with the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fodder Crisis (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I recognise the efforts farmers are making and the response they are showing. Costs, including fertiliser costs, certainly have gone up and there are other challenges too. Farmers are recognising the absolute importance of growing grass. We also are seeing them take on board the advice from Teagasc in regard to the efficient use of organic manure. We have a lot of latent potential in this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fodder Crisis (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputies for their questions. The Ministers of State, Deputy Heydon and Senator Hackett, and I have been very proactive as a team in working with the farming organisations to address the challenges that are there and to ensure we make the preparations now in order to be secure next April and May. I brought all the farmer representatives together immediately after the invasion of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fodder Crisis (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: This time last year, the price of milk was 35 cent a litre.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fodder Crisis (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Today, it is 50 cent a litre and the cost of production has gone up by an estimated 7 cent in the meantime. Therefore, the costs are being more than covered by the prices being made. Indeed, the estimate is that profitability will be very strong on dairy farms this year.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fodder Crisis (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: This particular issue is not about covering all sectors. It is about growing grass and making sure agriculture, as a sector, is secure. That is why we are targeting the available funding at the beef and sheep sectors, which, as the evidence is showing, need that support to generate the activity to make the whole sector secure.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for his question. As he is aware, the agriculture sector is required to reduce emissions by between 22% to 30% by 2030, based on a 2018 baseline of 23 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent. This is a challenging target for the sector, but it is one that also will present opportunities for farmers. Our farm families are committed to taking a leadership role in meeting our overall...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: We have been monitoring the situation closely, in particular the challenges facing the farming community. That is why I came forward with the tillage scheme, providing €400 per hectare for each additional hectare of cereal that is grown this year. It is also why I have come forward with the €1,000 payment to farmers to help with the cost of making silage. One of the key costs...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As Deputy Connolly will be aware, one of the commitments in the current programme for Government is to conduct a review of the potential demand for wool-based products, such as for insulation and fertilisers in domestic and international markets. There is huge potential for us to develop a wool industry here in Ireland to help to drive increased returns to our sheep farming families. Over...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: We are being very proactive in trying to identify new uses for wool. The completion of the report took longer than we had hoped but we were pushing hard to keep it moving along. Thankfully, we now have the report and it will be published in the next short period - over the next few weeks. Our objective has to be to see how we can add value to wool. Its traditional use is in regard to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: To take the Deputy’s approach, we are looking for woolly opportunities here. We are looking to maximise the potential that wool can deliver in terms of new uses, ones that have not traditionally been used and ones which can deliver a profit margin for farmers and remove what has become a cost for them. Under the programme for Government, we have taken this initiative, which is unique...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Agriculture Industry (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As to the overall cost, €100,000 was committed to the project.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Fodder Crisis (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Crowe for raising this issue. I also thank him for his advocacy in regard to the challenges facing farmers as a result of cost pressures, in particular his advocacy and representations on putting a scheme in place to support Clare farmers and farmers nationally in regard to growing fodder and preparing for the winter ahead. As he will be aware, shortly after the Russian...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Organic Farming (26 May 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: There has been engagement with other Departments on that issue and there will continue to be. The 7.5% target was set when the three Government parties agreed the programme for Government. It represents a significant increase-----