Results 7,901-7,920 of 10,843 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I thank Dr. Cotter for her helpful contribution.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I thank the witnesses for being here so late. I apologise; I was in the Chamber and I missed half of the witnesses' presentations and the first round of questions. In almost every response that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine provides to parliamentary questions, he says he is committed to retaining our derogation while also being focused on protecting and enhancing our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Does the Department have any sense of whether the derogation is positive or negative?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: That is a very passionate defence, I must say, with my tongue in my cheek. I again apologise if any of these questions have already been answered. I heard Mr. Flynn answer a previous question about slurry storage and the proposal in the draft for enclosure. I am not an expert in any of these areas and I am relying very much on the feedback I received to the consultation. It has been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Anaerobic digestion is a very managed process.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Could slats potentially-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: This may be an unintended consequence of the consultation paper. Natura hill farmers have voiced concern that the requirement for all farmers to fence off watercourses would essentially make it impossible to get planning permission which they would need to get.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I apologise. Could I get a 30-second response just for my own information?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I know. However, I am sure Mr. Nolan has dealt with situations, as I have, where, for example, the National Parks and Wildlife Service has fined farmers for erecting fences and the Department is insisting they must do so. We do not want to create a new area where that happens.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: There must be a distinction between farmers operating a very extensive model at very low density, probably operating at a loss already, and a commercial enterprise that is making a profit. Will all that be considered?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: That is fair enough. My understanding from the EPA's engagement with us earlier is that essentially it was advocating a farm-by-farm analysis approach rather than a blanket one-size-fits-all. The consultation document that caused so much consternation in my view advocates a one-size-fits-all approach or, at least, does not reflect the need to deal with this. Some farmers have pristine...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Mr. Nolan is saying that the solution is for extensive farmers to look at intensifying.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I have a difficulty with that. This is a much broader debate. I engage with farmers who on all three counts are getting screwed at the moment. They are operating at a loss in terms of the prices they receive, they are on the lowest level of payments and they are getting no benefits for never having chopped down their hedges. They have maintained biodiversity on their grounds, they do not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Is that a genuine cause for concern for those farmers? In other words, will this equipment still be eligible for grant aid even in the event that it becomes mandatory?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: Mr. Nolan should not get into the political questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: My question then is which will be more effective - the carrot or the stick?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: I am aware of them. Do I have time for a point of clarification?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: The draft plan states that the Dairy Sustainability Ireland working group has commenced a project to look at options for driving reductions of both national and catchment scale and that the project is at its initial stages. The IFA stated that it is not aware of the Dairy Sustainability Ireland working group referred to in this proposal and that it is its understanding that no such group...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: The draft plan says that the Dairy Sustainability Ireland working group has commenced a project.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Nitrates Directive, Water Quality and Pollution: Discussion (13 Oct 2021)

Matt Carthy: What about the IFA statement?