Results 8,161-8,180 of 23,950 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (5 Apr 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Eligibility for the various area-based schemes operated by the Department is governed by EU Regulations. One of the specific pillars of land eligibility is that the land must be an agricultural area, which is defined as either permanent grassland, permanent crops or arable land. However, within the current CAP there is provision for certain non-agricultural areas to be deemed eligible in...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (5 Apr 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The person named has a history of using all Artificial insemination (AI) in his herd However, he had recorded a sire as 'unknown' in his records submitted as part of the 2021 scheme. As a result, a query was raised and the person named did not receive his Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) payment for 2021 as it was deemed the scheme requirements had not been met. However, in light...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Contracts (5 Apr 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the attached table.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I will take that question on behalf of the Government and I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. This is something he has been advocating strongly for and it makes total sense. It is something the Government is pushing as a key priority. Within my Department there are grants for solar energy, which are available to farmers to invest in and generate energy for their farms. There has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputies. Deputy Stanton is correct that it makes absolute sense to reward and incentivise farmers to feed into the grid and develop the potential of family farms to make a real contribution to energy production, in addition to what that means for emissions and what it can mean in delivering an income for farmers. There is a challenge with TAMS investments in particular and the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: It is a wider cap. I will get the exact details for the Deputy on the piece around that. TAMS supports on-farm generation for on-farm usage. It is a very sensible and worthwhile thing for farmers to do but it is mainly being used by those who have higher energy needs at present. It only makes sense if farmers use the electricity generated and, therefore, it is more limited in that sense....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Industry (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As we know, the war in Ukraine has had a number of impacts on our agrifood sector. It is the number one priority for me, the Ministers of State, Deputies Hackett and Heydon, and the Department. I am working with key agrifood and marine sector stakeholders on an ongoing basis to discuss the impact of the crisis on agrifood supply chains,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Industry (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I am satisfied that everything is being done to get supply into the country. That does not mean supply is easy to get or there are not challenges. My Department and I have been liaising closely with feed importers and fertiliser importers. We are in constant contact in that regard. There will be challenges over the next period. It is steady at present, particularly as regards feed over...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Food Industry (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: All importers have been working very hard to try to secure supplies. They have been assessing all potential markets to source their supplies. They draw supplies from around the world at different times. Supply chains have obviously been disrupted by what has happened but suppliers are working very hard to see where that security of supply will come from in the months ahead. That is the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Inshore Fisheries (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Article 66 of the regulation allows the managing authority of the programme a partial derogation from the regulatory requirements, in that a 50% advance may be paid after approval of the PO's PMP. This derogation is not included in the PO scheme, which was approved at the programme's outset by the monitoring committee of stakeholders. The scheme states that only once the marketing plan has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Inshore Fisheries (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for raising this issue and for his advocacy on, and research into, it and the regulation. It is important that we support our new POs in getting established. I have been supportive of the PO in question. It is playing a major role and providing a significant service to inshore fishers and, in particular, island communities. I will assess the Deputies'...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. While overall national energy policy formation is the direct responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, my Department engages closely with it on energy-related matters from an agricultural perspective as well as with a wide range of industry and other stakeholder groupings. The importance of renewable...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Under EU regulations, where a farmer is using CAP funding through TAMS, it has to be for his or her own use on the farm, not for generating electricity for payment. It is important that we develop such generation, of course. At the start of this year, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and his Department came forward with a proposal to ensure that feed-in electricity being generated on farms...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I cannot answer that now for the Deputy but I certainly will consider the points he has made and come back to him directly. I would be happy to engage with him on any other ideas or views he has on how we approach the project. It was a tremendous day to be there, to see the spirit in the local community, and to meet with all those who have driven this project and advocated for it for so...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputies Mac Lochlainn and Ó Cuív. There is potential here on a number of fronts. The central objective and rationale behind the port is fisheries and making sure that Ros an Mhíl can thrive and grow again from a fisheries perspective. That is the key rationale. We also have to examine how we can leverage that for existing industries and for the years ahead....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Inshore Fisheries (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank the Deputy for raising this. The Department's European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, EMFF, programme is the principal source of funding for the sustainable development of our seafood sector. At this stage, the programme funds are mostly committed and the programme is nearing its end. The new European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund Regulation was adopted in July of last...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Beef Industry (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I thank Deputy Naughten for raising this issue. I know it is something for which he has been a very strong advocate. I am confident that the food safety controls and traceability systems operated by the Department in co-operation with other relevant agencies, particularly the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, can provide assurances to consumers of Irish beef, wherever they are in the world,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Beef Industry (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As I said, I see merit in the idea and it will be important to the sector to assess it and have ownership of it. I take the Deputy's point about ensuring any future system will work to the benefit of farmers and family farms and add value to animals. I am open to the idea and its potential. If any farm representatives are assessing it or working with the Deputy to flesh it out and consider...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Beef Industry (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I appreciate that the PGI application, which relates to grass-fed beef, is another issue for which the Deputy has advocated strongly. The application has been going through the process at the Commission and it is now at the stage where other member states have the opportunity to engage and give their views. As part of this, I have had much engagement with my Northern Ireland counterpart...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Harbours and Piers (31 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I acknowledge the Deputy's advocacy on behalf of this project over the years, and in particular since I became Minister, to drive it on and have it delivered. The project goes back a long time, to the early 2000s. Frank Fahy was Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources when it was initiated. While there have been many twists and turns since then, the Deputy has been central to pushing...