Results 8,321-8,340 of 23,963 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Costs (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I propose to take Questions Nos. 832 and 866 together. It is important to set out at the outset that Ireland does not manufacture fertiliser and is consequently dependent on the international marketplace for fertilisers, subsequently blended by Irish companies. There is ongoing engagement between my Department and the fertiliser sector in Ireland. Fertiliser companies provide sales data...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Costs (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: I announced a package of measures last week worth over €12 million to support Irish farmers as part of the Government's response to the cost increases and challenges currently facing the sector. To reduce reliance on chemical nitrogen, this package includes support for farmers who wish to establish multi-species swards and/or red clover silage swards. The Multi-Species Swards...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Grant aid is provided through TAMS II to assist farmers in maximising their contribution to the production of renewable energy through the installation of Solar PV technology along with battery storage on Irish farms. The solar PV systems grant aided under TAMS includes Solar PV Panels and Solar PV Rechargeable Batteries. Currently all grant aid for TAMS II investments must be for on...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pigmeat Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Bord Bia Pigmeat Quality Assurance Scheme (PQAS) sets out the requirements for best practice in pig production at farm level. It provides a uniform mechanism for recording and monitoring pig quality assurance criteria on the farm with a view to achieving continuous improvement in production and a uniform mechanism for standards. The Scheme is accredited under ISO17065. The Bord Bia...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Forestry Programme 2014-2020 (extended to end of 2022) introduced Agroforestry as a Grant and Premium Category under the Afforestation Scheme. Agroforestry had not previously featured in Ireland’s forestry support schemes and the measure is mainly targeted at silvopastoral Agroforestry systems which combine forestry and pasture, including grazing and the growing of fodder. The...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department makes available various forestry statistics on its website, particularly the Forestry Divisional Monthly Reports, which may be found here gov.ie - gov.ie - Forestry Division Monthly Reports (www.gov.ie) The table below shows the applications received in hectares from 2014 to 2021. Year Hectares of Afforestation applications received 2014 ...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: As the Deputy is likely to be aware, delays in issuing forestry licences arose because of certain court judgements and their interpretation which resulted in the majority of cases becoming subject to Appropriate Assessment and therefore requiring ecological input. This was particularly impactful on afforestation licences as afforestation is a land-use change and those files are more...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: There are a variety of reasons why there has been a gradual decline in afforestation rates even before this current Forestry Programme has started in 2015 and my Department is very conscious of the afforestation targets set out in the Climate Action Plan. During the last number of years, my Department has been addressing several barriers which contributed to decreasing afforestation...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Department publishes the weekly dashboard at www.gov.ie/en/collection/15b56-forest-statistics-and-mapping /#forestry-weekly-dashboard. The aim of the dashboard is to give full transparency on the number of forestry licences, across afforestation, roads and felling (broken down between Coillte and private felling), we issue every week. It also shows a useful comparison with the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Since the first finding of ash dieback disease in Ireland, my Department has provided support totalling over €7 million to owners of ash plantations impacted by ash dieback disease through the ash dieback reconstitution scheme (introduced in 2013) and more recently the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (RUS – Ash dieback) introduced in July 2020. Applications for that...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy raises an important greenhouse gas abatement measure for the agricultural sector. Protected urea is a urea-based chemical nitrogen fertiliser coated with a urease inhibitor. This inhibitor reduces emissions of ammonia when applied to land. Urea based fertilisers have significantly less nitrous oxide emissions (a greenhouse gas (GHG)) associated with them compared to Calcium...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Industry (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Deputy raises an important issue in the context of transitioning to a more long term sustainable platform for Irish agriculture. Low Emissions Slurry Technology (LESS) refers to trailing hose and band spreader slurry application technologies. The main objective for using this technology is to reduce emissions of ammonia to enable compliance with our limits under the National Emissions...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Departmental Expenditure (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Greenhouse Gas Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (GHG MACC) for Irish Agriculture quantifies the opportunities for abatement of agricultural greenhouse gases, as well as the associated costs/benefits and shows the abatement potential of greenhouse gas mitigation measures, and the relative costs associated with each of these measures. Teagasc is currently reviewing the GHG MACC which was last...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The current Programme for Government target is to align the utilisable agricultural area under organic production in Ireland with the EU average of 7.5% The organic sector in Ireland is experiencing considerable growth at present with the area of land under organic production now at approximately 90,000 hectares at the end of 2021. I am committed to continuing the implementation of...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: At present there are 1,734 participants in the Organic Farming Scheme. The table below outlines the average payment by year and farm system from 2019 to date. The total expenditure figure in 2022 to date represents payments due in respect of the 2021 scheme year. Year Total Payment Average Payment 2019 €9.3m €6,078...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Bord Bia (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: For 2022, the total funding for Bord Bia provided by my Department in the form of an Exchequer Grant through my Department's Vote was €53m. Within this sum there are no ring-fenced amounts for the marketing of organic or other produce and the disposition of these funds is an operational matter for Bord Bia in line with its Statement of Strategy Strategic Priorities for the year as...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The forest sector has an important part to play in meeting the ambitious roadmap towards climate neutrality. Afforestation is the process of establishing a forest on lands not previously forested. In 2021, 2,016 hectares of afforestation was achieved in Ireland. The breakdown of this is 41% broadleaf (829 ha) and 49% conifer (1,187 ha). Ireland’s forests and harvested wood products...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: My Department is operating some 12 afforestation Schemes at present and a full list of those are available at: www.gov.ie/en/collection/73aea-schemes-and-services-agricult ure-food-and-the-marine/#forestry The overall afforestation target as contained in the Climate Action Plan 2021 is 8,000 hectares. Last year, we issued 502 afforestation licences for 4,246 hectares, but only 2,016...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Organic Farming (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: Currently there are approximately 93,000 hectares of land farmed organically in Ireland, of which 9,600 hectares is undergoing the conversion process at present. The use of synthetic chemicals, fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides are all prohibited in organic production systems. Organic manure is the only permitted fertiliser for use on organic farms as outlined in the EU organic...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Teagasc Activities (29 Mar 2022)

Charlie McConalogue: The Greenhouse Gas Marginal Abatement Cost Curve (GHG MACC) for Irish Agriculture quantifies the opportunities for abatement of agricultural greenhouse gases, as well as the associated costs/benefits and visualises the abatement potential of greenhouse gas mitigation measures, and the relative costs associated with each of these measures. The original MACC curve, out to 2030, initially...